


Hold Me By The Heart

by onewomanshow



Series: By Kismet or Happenstance [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Ambassador Katara (Avatar), Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Canon Divergence - ATLA, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Heartache, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Non-Canon Relationship, Past Relationship(s), Post-Break Up, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Slow Burn Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24433579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onewomanshow/pseuds/onewomanshow
Summary: Three years have past since Katara found the boy in the iceberg. A lot has changed, including her. Legend has it that the Avatar only falls in love once - but she isn't the Avatar and Katara is starting to think that just maybe, her heart belongs to someone else.
Relationships: Aang & The Gaang (Avatar), Katara & The Gaang (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: By Kismet or Happenstance [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764538
Comments: 93
Kudos: 275





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> First and foremost, thank you all for the kudos left on my FIRST story ever since I've gotten back into writing - "Some Call It Kismet". This multi-chapter fic is loosely based on that so if you haven't read it, feel free to do so. However, it's definitely not required and this fic can standalone. I was just really inspired by the feedback I got on it and was like "hey, what if I dive deeper into this story?" and alas, here we are. Any and all criticism is welcome. Much love <3\. 
> 
> Also, I literally just picked this title from the Kehlani song I was listening to at the time lol. Go check it out if you're a fan :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are Zuko's or Katara's thoughts in this chapter. If it's too confusing, just let me know.

It’s a relatively calm and quiet day in the Fire Nation. Relieved to be free from drawn-out meetings, Fire Lord Zuko decides to get some sparring in. As a world leader and political figure, it’s very rare that he actually gets to fight on the frontlines now, and a part of him misses the rush that comes with it. 

He makes his way to the courtyard. The sun always shines the brightest there and it reminds him of the memories he had with his mother, sitting on her lap as they fed the turtleducks together. 

What he doesn’t expect to see is Katara absentmindedly creating tiny waves in the fountain that sits in the middle of the garden. 

“Katara? Shouldn’t you be getting ready to leave with Aang?” 

She sighs deeply and glances up at him. “Aang and I broke up. He left late last night.” 

_Ah. That would explain the yelling I heard._

He sits down beside her. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

She smiles sheepishly and he notices the hurt and unshed tears hiding in her eyes. “I’m not sure what to say.” 

He pauses, weighing his response carefully. “You can start by telling me why...I mean, if you want.” He shrugs his shoulders on the last part and nervously runs his fingers through his hair. Katara smirks at this, chuckling a bit. “How are you still so awkward? Even when trying to comfort someone else?” 

“I’m glad my awkwardness makes you smile.” 

There is a comfortable silence between them. Katara continues moving the water with her bending, much to the excitement of the baby turtleducks. 

“I told him I don’t feel the same way anymore.” She suddenly says, her voice laced with sadness and another feeling he can’t seem to make out just yet. 

At this, he turns his head to look at her. “Oh?” He questions with a raise of his eyebrow. 

“Yeah...I’m not the same person that discovered him 3 years ago, you know. And I feel like he expects me to be.” 

At this, Zuko nods, knowing exactly what she means. He had a similar conversation with Mai shortly after he was coronated. Luckily for him, she felt the same way, or he might have gotten a dagger to the throat. 

“And I know he loves me, but he’s young. There’s so much he needs to learn that I can’t teach him.” At this, Katara’s voice breaks and Zuko can tell that there’s something very heavy weighing on heart that she isn’t explicitly expressing so he squeezes her thigh and looks at her earnestly. 

“Katara, you don’t have to tell me anymore if you don’t want to. I get it.” 

She smiles at this. 

_He always did understand._

_“_ Well _,_ I don’t mean to bore you with my feelings. What brings you out here? Shouldn’t you be off somewhere being a Fire Lord?” 

He scoffs. “Okay, first of all, you’re not boring me. This is the most entertainment I’ve had in a while. I can only listen to Uncle talk tea and riddles for so long.” 

_(And s_ _econd of all,_ _I am being a Fire Lord, you're my concern._ He wants to say but decides against it.) 

Katara lets out a loud laugh at this – the kind of laugh where her cheeks hurts from smiling so hard. “It’s good to see he hasn’t changed.” 

“Yeah. He’s been asking about you too.” 

“Me?” She says suspiciously. “Asking things like what?” 

“Urm...you know, the usual. How you’re doing, what you’re up to...if I’m ever going to offer you the Ambassador position.” He looks at her, and the blush on his face is apparent. 

Katara knows what being the Ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe entails. Meetings, drafting of agreements and laws, other political affairs...living semi-permanently in the Fire Nation, and being able to go home freely. It’s been a while since she’s done that and it definitely seems more exciting than babysitting the Avatar. 

“Zuko.” 

“Yes.” 

“Tell your uncle I accept.” 

“But I didn’t offer it to you.” 

She rolls her eyes and abruptly stands up in mock annoyance. “If you don’t want me to stay here, just say so and I’ll leave.” 

He shoots up, frantic. “Okay, okay. Sheesh. Do you want to be the Official Ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe, Master Katara?” 

Katara smirks and bows jokingly at him. “It would be my honor, Fire Lord Zuko.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a doozy - I wrote and rewrote it so many times because I couldn't figure out what direction I wanted to go in. I apologize for the delay, my mood hasn't been the best lately because life :/ but I hope this chapter makes up for it. If Katara is OOC, I'm sorry - breakup aside, I figured with everything she has gone through up until then, she's bound to have some kind of emotional trauma. They were teenagers fighting a war, hello PTSD. With that being said, I may change the rating as this chapter is definitely more angsty than the first one. Fair warning, there's a timeskip. 
> 
> It's definitely going to get better though. I already have an idea for chapter 3 so I'm hoping to get it out soon, but I make no promises. Enjoy. <3

3 months have passed since Katara decided to stay in the Fire Nation. She sent a letter to her brother in the South Pole and told him about her breakup with Aang. Sokka was actually not surprised, saying that he didn’t see it working out either but knew it was something she needed to figure out for herself.

She and Zuko easily fell into a routine – he would wait for her to wake up so they can eat breakfast together and almost every other meal for he gotten used to it when he joined the Gaang. He initially hated it at first and preferred to be alone but after Katara begged (forced and threatened) him into doing so because “we’re a family now”, he realized it was nice sitting down and sharing a meal with people he loved and cared about.

He learned early on that Katara wasn’t exactly a morning person and advised the guards not to wake her before 8am unless absolutely necessary, or else _“I’m not responsible for how she chooses to react”._

When she wasn’t attending meetings on behalf of her brother or helping him complete paperwork – (Katara was really good at dictating, he found out) she was working with local physicians to implement hydrotherapy as a form of treatment for the sick and injured. She was also communicating with Sokka more often to ensure the rebuilding of their home was going well and in talks with the Northern Water Tribe to train more female benders in the art of combat.

Things were going relatively smooth – but she was well aware of the rumors floating around about her regarding the breakup and despite the brave face she put on it, she didn’t enjoy it and although she never officially announced it to anyone besides her close friends and family, it didn’t take long for the news to travel after Aang was seen fulfilling his duties as the Avatar and traveling around the world solo.

_“Aang probably realized he could do so much better than her. He is the Avatar, afterall.”_

_“She’s not even pretty.”_

_“Isn’t he a vegetarian? How does that work? Although she should probably look into it, her love of meat definitely shows"._

Katara sat in the private dining room staring at her bowl of tomato-carrot soup. She shouldn’t be so bothered by their statements, right? She was a waterbending master, a war hero, a healer, the sole surviving female waterbender from her tribe…she was just as much a legend as Aang was, just as much as a “prize".

Maybe that’s why it did - how was she all of these things and still not enough? She wasn’t enough for him and now she felt like she wasn’t enough for the world. After her mother died, she spent much of her childhood taking care of Sokka and Gran Gran in her father’s absence. She quickly filled that void, and, in a sense, grew up fast. Her entire life has been spent doing for others and now she was finally doing something she really enjoyed, and all people focused on was her relationship.

She was nearly lost in her thoughts when she felt someone staring at her. She looked up to see Zuko eyeing her with that _look_ , the I’m-really-worried-about-you-and-I-want-to-be-there-for-you look, similar to the way he looked after she broke down in tears on their way back from hunting down her mother’s killer.

“You haven’t touched your food, Katara.”

“I’m just not hungry, that’s all.”

He refrained from rolling his eyes. “Is it too spicy? I can have the chef make you a separate one.” 

“It’s fine, Zuko.” He heard the tone in her voice and knew he should probably back off and drop it but he also heard what people were saying (technically, it was a part of his job to stay up-to-date on all affairs) and he knew Katara well enough to know when something was bothering her, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

“Every time I ask you what’s going on, you say it’s fine.” His voice unintentionally raised slightly and Katara huffed, not phased by it in the slightest.

Iroh, who was sitting quietly enjoying his meal up until now, muttered something about being old and needing rest and politely excused himself.

“I said, it’s fine, _Zuko_. Drop it before I freeze you to the ceiling.”

At this, he outright laughed, much to Katara’s chagrin.

“What’s funny?”

“I could just melt the ice.”

“You won’t.”

“Try me.”

***

That's how he and Katara ended up sparring. It was an exhilarating feeling for both of them and the sweat on both of their bodies were representative of the exertion.

“This isn’t going to get you out of telling me what’s wrong.” Zuko said in between breaths.

In an instant, Katara was throwing ice daggers at him which he quickly melted with a jab of his fists.

“Katara, I’m serious.” He said as he channeled his energy into dodging her attacks. As amazing of a fighter she was, he fought against her enough times to know her moves were driven by emotion more than usual. She was tired. Maybe not physically, but emotionally, and it was affecting her bending.

In between attacks, he managed to get close enough so just before she made the next move, he reached out and grabbed her wrists.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” He pleaded with her and it nearly broke his heart when a choking sob spilled out of her throat. 

“I’m tired of having to be strong all of the time.” She was crying into his chest, holding onto his tunic.

"You don't have to be...not with me." He whispered. 

There, sweaty, out of breath, and exhausted, it was the most at peace she felt in a very long time. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do my best writing in the middle of the night. Enjoy. <3
> 
> Trigger Warning: Mention of coercion.

Turns out, the soup _was_ a little spicy.

Zuko couldn’t stop laughing when Katara told him and assured her that he would have the chef make milder versions for her. He even suggested that they could have Water Tribe food some nights. She was rather ecstatic by this - it’s been a while since she’s had cuisine from her home, but was skeptical because she didn’t trust the chefs to prepare it properly, so instead she offered that they cook it together the way they use to during their travels.

Katara agreed to go to therapy. After her somewhat of a breakdown, he confided in her that he saw one as well (“Uncle thought it was a good idea”) and really benefitted from it joking that Iroh’s sagely words of wisdom couldn’t undone an abusive childhood alone. She genuinely seemed to be doing better as a result and it made Zuko smile that she could find a semblance of peace.

The 2nd annual Peace Summit was quickly approaching and to say she was a bundle of nerves would be an understatement. Even though the Fire Nation made great progress, it would be her first one since she was officially appointed as Ambassador and there were still a few grumpy old men that didn’t want a waterbender anywhere near Fire Nation politics. They definitely weren’t pleased when they found out Katara was living at the palace as it was traditionally reserved for direct members of the Royal Family – ambassadors typically stayed in a villa in the Capital City when they weren’t in their respective home countries. But determined to not be like his father, Zuko didn’t want to simply banish them just because they didn’t see eye to eye on every matter – so he’s basically just waiting for them to die.

Suki was in town – she arrived a little earlier than the others to discuss expanding the Kyoshi Warriors and Katara really enjoyed the company. She was enjoying her time in the Fire Nation despite the sweltering heat, but she appreciated the friendly face. They were walking back from Iroh’s tea shop in the city, full on tea cakes and energized by an intense game of Pai Sho, when she asked a question.

“So what’s up with you and Zuko?” Katara briefly paused, caught off guard, and looked at Suki who had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“What do you mean?” She could feel the heat rush to her cheeks and hoped it wasn’t too obvious.

Suki scoffed. “Don’t play dumb with me, sugar queen. Sokka told me you and Aang broke up and now you’re here, living with Zuko at the palace. What’s up?”

“Well, I am the Ambassador –“

“Kataraaaa” Suki whined and Katara made a mental note that she was starting to act like Sokka. It made her happy that her brother found someone that puts up with all of his antics, and even though they were currently long distance, still going strong.

“Spare me the technicalities, please. I _know_ there’s something more going on between you too.”

At this, Katara sputtered. “I…what? We’re just friends, okay. “

Suki smirked, looking rather pleased with herself. “Yeah, for now” then quickly walked ahead leaving a confused and annoyed Katara behind her.

***

Back at the palace, Zuko was walking down the hall towards the garden when he saw two of his former peers at the Fire Nation Academy, Xin and Lao, having a private conversation. Their fathers were members of the Advisory Board as government officials within the Fire Nation colonies so it wasn’t their presence that startled him.

He heard the mention of Katara’s name and stealthily hid behind a pillar, listening to their conversation.

_“Do you think Zuko’s hitting that?”_

_“If he’s not, he’s a fool. She’s a babe.”_

_“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind showing her a good time if you know what I mean.”_

_Xin chuckled.” She’s a total prude, bro. She’ll never give you a chance.”_

_“She’ll be at the Peace Summit later…I’m sure a couple of shots of Fire Whiskey will change that. She’ll forget all about Aang when I make her scream my name.”_

Zuko felt his internal body temperature rise as his temper flared. How dare they talk about her like that, as if she’s a piece of meat. He was grateful his Blue Spirit skills were still up to par as they didn’t see nor hear him walk up.

Xin, who was facing his direction, eyes’ bulged out of his head. This caught the attention of Lao who swiftly turned around.

“Fire Lord Zuko!”

Zuko’s eyebrow wrinkled as his eyes narrowed into slits.

“How- how much of that did you hear?” Lao stammered.

“All of it.” Zuko stepped closer to the duo, wisps of smoke steadily rising from his body as he fought to calm himself down.

“We-“ Xin shot Lao a panicked looked that screamed _“We?”_

“I-“ he started again “didn’t mean that.”

“Of course you didn’t.” Zuko didn’t make any attempt to hide the anger in his voice.

“C’mon Zuko” Lao backed up, attempting to keep some distance between them. “We’re pals, we grew up together, you know how guys talk.”

He did know how guys talk, _especially about Katara_. That didn’t make it okay, though.

“I’m only going to say this once – you will leave the premises immediately and if you so look at Master Katara wrong, I will personally make sure that you will never intend to harm another woman again.”

Lao gulped. “Yes, sir, Fire Lord Zuko, sir” and quickly sped off leaving Xin behind.

Xin smiled nervously. “Sorry about that Zuko, he’s such a sleaze, isn’t he?”

Zuko took a deep breath – he hadn’t breathed fire from his mouth in a while but the bubbling rage he felt was pushing it.

“It’s Fire Lord Zuko and I said – I’m only going to say it once.” He stepped forward and glared at him. “ _Don’t…_ make me say it again.”

Xin got the hint and ran to catch up with Lao while Zuko continued to make his way to the garden. 

He needed to think about his bubbling feelings for a certain waterbender.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for two updates in a row, can I make it three?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place exactly two weeks after the last chapter and roughly 9 months from the first chapter (if that helps). 
> 
> Enjoy. <3.

The Peace Summit was well underway which meant the capital city was bustling with attendees from all over the world, street food, live music, and a much-needed reunion with friends and family. Much to the surprise and excitement of the citizens, Zuko ditched his royal regalia for more causal clothes and joined the festivities, entertaining curious children by using his bending to create sparklers.

Suki was busy trying to keep Sokka from overindulging on all of the exotic meat, practically having to drag him away from the various food stands and Toph, in friendly Toph fashion, was challenging some of Zuko’s soldiers to sparring competitions and winning, to no one’s surprise even though she promised him she wouldn't beat up his army _too_ bad.

Katara spent all morning being prepped by the advisors on ‘proper Fire Nation etiquette’, being poked and prodded by the palace seamstress to ensure that her dress was Ambassador worthy and her eyes burned from reading and re-reading the speech she prepared addressing the plans she had to repair the relationship between the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation. She needed a break and could no longer ignore all of the fun that was going on outside.

She was just getting ready to head into the city when she ran into Aang. It was the first time they saw each other since the breakup and she honestly didn’t know what to expect.

“Aang, hi.”

“Oh hey, Katara.”

There was an uncomfortable and foreign silence between them as neither of them knew how to continue to conversation. They weren’t enemies, but she wasn’t sure if they classified as friends now either.

“So what have you-“Aang blushed and Katara chuckled nervously as they both started to speak at the same time.

He then smiled that same, charming, sheepish grin. “You go first.”

“I was going to ask what you’ve been up to, that’s all.”

Aang paused, trying to think of a answer. “Well, I’ve been traveling for the most part…apparently, I have a fan club.” At the last part, he grinned widely and Katara really got a good look at him – Besides his voice being deeper, he was definitely taller as he now completely towered over her and was more muscular, but still had a boyish appeal to him. 

She smiled. “That’s great Aang, I’m really happy for you.”

“Yeah, I’m going to try to teach them the way of the Air Nomads. Try and preserve my culture, you know?”

She nodded in understanding, biting back the memory she had of them arguing over her wanting to spend some time in South Pole to help them rebuild. _At least now he understands,_ she thinks to herself.

“Well, good luck with that.”

Another awkward silence.

“What about you?”

“I’ve been busy…I wish the title came with some perks that matched my workload. Being the Ambassador is exhausting.” She wipes her brow and sighs for dramatic effect. “But it’s also been really rewarding too. I feel like I’m really doing a good thing here, something meaningful.”

Aang looks at her and she’s glowing. She looks so happy and he realizes he hasn’t seen her look like this in a long time – way before they broke up. It dawns on him that is what she meant when she said being with him felt like she was stuck in his shadow.

“And Zuko?”

He toiled with himself all day about whether he would ask her about him. He was albeit, a bit naïve, but he wasn’t blind (although Toph _is_ blind and he’s sure she saw it) and he had a feeling Katara deciding to stay in the Fire Nation, when she could’ve just gone home, had a lot more to do with him than just politics.

Katara blanked. “Um…he’s good. Great, even. He’s trying really hard not to be like Ozai and maybe I’m biased, but he’s already miles ahead of him in terms of leadership.” 

She has an adoring look on her face and he chuckles. “That’s not what I meant, Katara, but I’m glad to hear he’s doing well.”

It hits her what he’s referring to and she nearly starts to panic. “I-what, why does everyone keep saying that?”

He smirks at her nervousness. “It appears that the student has become the master.” Aang bows, then hops on his air-scooter and rolls away.

She shakes her head and proceeds to chase after him.

Maybe they will be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was kinda a filler chapter. I wanted to re-ntroduce Aang into the storyline. I tried really hard to make him, I guess, the "bad guy" but I couldn't do it. I'm all for people being adults, communicating, and maturing, and given that Aang is a monk, it works better if he grew up and realized the error of his ways. After all, he was freaking 12 when he met Katara and she was the first girl he saw in ages. Of course, he liked her! But the breakup forced him to realize that it was just a crush and who he thought he was in love with it isn't really who Katara is. War will do that to you. Anyway, Katara is still in denial, hehe, but not for long, I promise - I really want her and Zuko to have a solid foundation before they just up and get together. Honestly, in my eyes, ATLA should've ended with none of them in relationships because everyone had some growing to do and needed time to reflect but I get it, it was a kids show and I wasn't the writer lol. 
> 
> For reference, I did age up the characters because I would feel weird writing a romance about children so Katara is 19, Aang is 17, and Zuko is 21. And I hope the timeskips aren't confusing. If they are, please let me know.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Language

Both Katara and Zuko’s speeches were well received at the conference, much to the Fire Lord’s delight, and Aang managed to rouse the entire room into a thunderous applause when he broke the news that the two of them were working on a united city that will be home to people from all four nations. He didn’t mention it to her because he didn’t want to add to her nerves, but he was extremely relieved that the advisors and Fire Sages were pleased he appointed such a fine ambassador.

He didn’t have any concerns that she wouldn’t do well, but he was apprehensive given the still fragile state of the Fire Nation and the traditionalists that weren’t too sure about having a waterbender serve in any leadership positions. 

The celebration was in full effect which meant hor d'oeuvres were being passed around the grand hall. Sokka was telling war stories of his “warrior days” to anyone who would listen, and Toph was being quite literally swept off of her feet after teasing Aang about his twinkle toes as they danced together. In the midst of all of this, Katara managed to sneak away from the horde of people who kept asking a million questions.

She was standing out on the balcony, letting the cool air from the breeze soothe her skin. It was refreshing to say the least and she silently thanked the royal seamstress for using a thinner material for her gown that wasn’t as suffocating as the standard fabric. 

“Care for some company?” She looked to her right and smiled as Zuko came to stand next to her. He was holding two glasses of sparkling champagne in his hands and a small plate with some pastries.

Her eyes sparkled as she recognized the treat as a Water Tribe cookie her Gran Gran made for them growing up.

“Are those….?”

He nods and sticks the plate out to her.

“How did you…?”

“I may have sent a letter to Sokka in the South Pole and asked him to ask your Gran-Gran for some traditional recipes…to make your 1st Peace Summit as ambassador and the rest of your time here a little more homely.” He blushed a bit and smiled at her.

She returns the smile. “Thank you, Zuko. I really appreciate this.”

As she took a bite of the sweet snack, she had to hold back a moan. “Did your chef make these?”

He chuckles nervously. “Actually...I did. I used to help my mom bake all the time before she um, disappeared. I guess some things you never forget how to do. Plus, Kanna’s recipe was pretty easy to follow and she even sent the ingredients so voila. I don’t spend _all_ of my time in meetings.”

“So you the spend the rest of it baking like a homemaker?” She teases as she raises an eyebrow at him. 

He laughs at this but there's still some sadness in his eyes so Katara reaches out to him and places her hand on his shoulder. “Zuko…thank you, really. And I’m so sorry about your mom.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Katara. It wasn’t your fault. Besides, I have a few leads on her whereabouts. I may be able to find her.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m just waiting for the right time, you know. I don’t want to leave the Fire Nation so soon, even though my uncle is more than capable of doing the job in my absence. I just don’t want it to look bad when so many people are already expecting me to fail.”

“Yeah…about that. You did great tonight.”

“Me? You. You’re practically a professional already, not that there was ever any doubt.” He proclaims smirking. 

"That’s really kind of you to say but I was a nervous wreck out there. All of the faces staring at me holding onto to my every word then everyone bombarding me with questions…it was kind of overwhelming.”

“Well,” Zuko drawls “if it makes you feel any better, you already passed the first test – remaining calm under pressure.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

He nods affirmingly. “You did.”

They stand in a comfortable silence, both leaning against the railing as they finish off the rest of the champagne Zuko brought out with him.

Zuko can’t tell if it’s copious amount of alcohol he’s consumed tonight or the soft sounds of the live band as they start playing slower songs that call out to him, but before he can stop himself, the question is already tumbling out of his mouth.

“Would you like to dance with me, Ambassador Katara?”

Katara smiles and stands up to her full height, looking up at him.

“I thought you'd never ask.”

****

“That was so much fun, Zuko!” Katara’s shrill, high-pitched voice penetrates the walls of the palace. She’s leaning her weight on him as he attempts to get her to room.

Apparently, she really liked the champagne. And after their dance, one glass turned into two then two turned into three, and before any of them knew it was coming, she was incredibly intoxicated. 

After getting all the guests out of the palace in a timely and orderly manner, Zuko dismissed his advisors for the evening and focused on getting Katara back to her quarters.

But with her room being on the other side of the palace, the task was proving to be difficult.

“Katara, you’re drunk. And I need you to cooperate with me.”

She giggles and throws her arm around him lazily. “I am cooperating, silly.”

He rolls his eyes. “Sure, you are.”

Frustrated, he scoops her up in his arms, figuring it would be much faster and easier to just carry her.

“Whee!” She squealed as he hoisted her up. “’Where are we going? On an adventure? A field trip?”

He smiles at her reference and decides to play along. “Yes, we are. A field trip to your room. So you can sleep this off.” _And hopefully, the inevitable hangover._

“Ooo, I like field trips.” She begins to yawn and leans her head against his chest. He looks down and notices her eyes closing. It wasn’t long before her breath evened out and her body became dead weight as sleep overtook her.

As he approached her room, he nodded to the guards stationed outside her door and they let him in. Katara hated them, adamant that “I can take care of myself and don’t need a babysitter” but she let Zuko assign some to her anyway because it made him feel better.

The door closed behind him and he moved towards her bed.

“Okay Katara, we’re in your room now.” He gently laid her on the bed and starts pulling the covers over her.

Katara sleepily raises her one of her arms up and begins tugging at her dress.

“What are you doing?” He whispers startled.

“I can’t sleep…these clothes…too hot.”

_Shit. What do I do?_

Zuko frantically begins looking around her room and sighs in relief when he sees her nightgown thrown across the daybed in the corner. As he went to get it, he sees her out of the corner of his good eye, peel the dress off leaving it in a pool on the floor and snuggle underneath the covers in her wrappings.

He smiles and turns on his heel to leave the room. “Goodnight Katara.”

Just as opens the door, Katara stirs from her sleep. He pauses.

“Goodnight Zuko…I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about to get real ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two posts in one day, let's gooooo

“She told me she loves me, Uncle!” The Fire Lord says exasperatedly as he paces back and forth in his study. The wise old man is just looking at him as he drinks his afternoon tea.

“Well?” Zuko half yells.

At this, Iroh finally puts his cup down. “Well, what?”

“Don’t you have anything to say? A riddle? A parable? A scripture? Something!?” The frazzled Fire Lord throws himself into his chair.

Iroh smiles. “My dear, sweet nephew. There is really nothing for me to say, as I’m sure you already know the answer to the question you are not asking.”

Zuko groans. “What does that mean?”

“It means, perhaps, that Lady Katara does love you. And you love her.”

He huffs. “Of course, I do. We’re friends. I love all of my friends.”

Iroh picks his teacup up once more. “Mhmm. But not in the way you love her.”

Zuko blanks at this, absentmindedly rubbing the scar on his stomach through his robes.

He did love her - but she just got out of a relationship (it was almost a year ago but still) and well – she practically worked for him. He didn’t want to push her into something she wasn’t ready for despite his feelings, and should he really be mixing business with pleasure?

Iroh looks at his nephew and offers a warm smile. “If it’s troubling you so much...give it time and let her come to you."

As he prepares to leave the room, he turns once more. “But remember…a drunken mind speaks sober thoughts." 

***

When Katara wakes up, she’s grateful for the dark curtains that are effectively dimming the sunlight trying to break through her room for she has a pounding headache.

She squints and leans over the side of the bed, immediately vomiting into the trash can that was conveniently put beside it. As she wipes her mouth, she notices a tray on her dresser.

On the tray is a bowl of dumplings, a cup of tea, and a handwritten note.

_“For the nausea and something bread-y to soak up the alcohol. From, Zuko.”_

_“P.S. Hopefully it’s still warm but you did sleep through breakfast and lunch.”_

She smiles to herself. He was always taking care of her and making sure she was okay. She loved him for that. For so long, she’s been the caregiver for everyone else – it was nice to be on the receiving end.

But she couldn’t deny her feelings anymore. She loved him for other reasons too. He was smart and funny, even if his jokes were a little awkward, a great leader, an even better friend, and she was so proud of the man he was becoming. As a child, the Fire Nation was the enemy, and as a teenager, he was the face of that hurt and pain.

Yet, now, he represented the future – a better Fire Nation, an even better world, and in the process, he managed to heal her heart without even knowing it, by never asking more out of her than to just be herself and appreciating her as an individual. 

Sure, she stayed in the Fire Nation because she wanted to be the Ambassador, but she also stayed for him too, because somewhere down the line, she fell for him. They were two broken people, but together, they fit.

Katara sighed and lifted the tray as she began making her way to Zuko’s study. She knew what she had to do.

***

Zuko was rubbing his temples, trying to avoid smacking his head into his desk repeatedly when he heard a knock.

“Go away.” He growled, not wanting to be disturbed.

“It’s me, Zuko.” He lifted his head up confused. He could almost hear the annoyance in Katara’s voice and hurried to unlock the door.

When he opened it, her hair was disheveled, but he thanked the Gods that she was sober enough to remember she couldn’t walk around in her undergarments.

(At least, not around the _entire_ palace. His private quarters, on the other hand, was a different story).

He noticed that she was holding the tray he had one of the servants prepare for her and motioned for her to come in.

“What brings you here?” 

Katara places the tray on a table and takes a seat.

“Well, my food is cold so I figured you could heat it up for me. Also, I feel bad about missing breakfast and lunch and this is more than enough for me so I thought you might like an afternoon snack.”

He sends a careful, steady flame towards the bowl that’s hot enough to effectively warm the food but not quite hot enough to burn it and Katara doesn’t hesitate to grab the chopsticks and take a bite.

Zuko is sitting on his desk, contemplating whether or not he should bring up what happened last night but then remembers his Uncle’s advice of “Let her come to you.”

Does this count as her coming to him? He wasn’t sure but decided to let it play out anyway.

“So…” she starts.

He raises an eyebrow at her. “So?”

Katara is fiddling with hands, nervousness evident in her body language.

“About last night…I shouldn’t have drank so much.”

He waves a hand, dismissing her concern. “Trust me, it’s fine. You’re definitely not the first and won’t be the last. And you didn’t do anything outlandish or crazy.”

She makes a face at this. “I wouldn’t say I didn’t do anything crazy…." She pauses. "Did you hear what I said? When you were leaving my room?”

Zuko sighs and looks down, unable to meet her gaze. “Yeah. I did.”

Katara looks like she’s processing this information before nodding. “Ok, well, that’s good.”

His head snaps up. “What?”

She swallows the lump in her throat. “I said, that’s good. Because I meant it. I love you.”

“I love you too, Katara.”

She looks like she’s about to cry. “No, Zuko, I… _I love_ you.”

Zuko can’t believe what he’s hearing right now and if Azula was here, she’d definitely pinch him to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Katara is once again, fiddling with her hands. In an instant, he walks towards her and takes a seat next to her on the floor.

“You love me.” It comes out as a question.

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“I’ve honestly known for quite some time. But I was in denial. I didn’t want to admit it because this feeling…it’s scary. I loved Aang, still do, but not like this. That’s partially the reason why I chose to stay here. I had to find out, if it was worth it. If this, us…was real.”

“And last night…?”

“I was drunk, yes, but I know what I said. It just…came out right then. Probably wasn’t the best time, given everything.”

She looks at him and he appears to be in deep thought. For a second, she thinks she’s ruined everything. Then, Zuko lets out a breath that she didn’t even know he was holding.

“I love you too.” It feels so natural coming out his of mouth that he doesn’t even second guess it. “You know, Mai actually told me we would make a good couple.”

At this, Katara looks outright puzzled. “You and Mai talked about me? About us?”

Zuko chuckles. “Yeah, after the war ended, my head nor my heart wasn’t in it anymore. It wasn’t the easiest conversation to have, but it had to be done.” 

She cringes, then, remembering the somber teenager who was an aficionado for knives. As if he knows what she’s thinking, he interrupts her thoughts “Don’t worry, she doesn’t hate you and won’t try to harm you.”

Katara laughs. “That’s a relief. She’s kind of scary.”

“I’m sure you could take her though. Have an agni kai for my love and affection.” He smirks at her and Katara feels a surge of energy run through her veins.

She crawls into his laps and wrap her arms around his neck. “Well, what do I have to do for a kiss, Fire Lord?”

Zuko growls and stands up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he does so. He was suddenly hungry and grateful Katara was considerate enough to bring him a snack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, amirite? 
> 
> This is not the end, I have a lot more planned. Trust me. I hope you all have been enjoying it thus far though! 
> 
> Also, I feel like Zuko is completely comfortable around Katara and vice versa which is why it was so easy for them to say the big L word to each other. Plus, they've been harboring these feelings for a long time so it makes sense, at least to me lol.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really haven't written romance scenes so I hope they aren't too cringy. I apologize if they are, baby steps lol.

Katara’s lips were swollen and her eyes hazy. She’d kissed Zuko before, back when he took her to avenge her mother, but it wasn’t like this. That one was more comforting and awkward. They were both two teenagers carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders and weren’t sure about their feelings for each other. It was easier to be with Aang and him with Mai.

But this. This was different.

When their lips first touched, it was passionate as if both of them were pouring out all of the unspoken words they were too scared to say back then – I love you, I want you, I’m sorry, _stay,_ all wrapped up into into one kiss – it felt _right_.

It quickly turned into something more with Katara whining into Zuko’s ear and him rubbing her body in places she’s never really been touched before.

“We should stop.” Zuko breathed, rubbing the crevice right between where her thighs met her hips through the fabric of her skirt. He liked Katara in her Water Tribe attire but he was still a man so he definitely appreciated her opting for more Fire Nation-style clothing which meant less fabric and material to offset the heat and more skin showing.

“You want to? Cause I’m free for another hour.” She was running her hands across his chest and it was slowly driving him crazy so he grabbed her wrists to stop her.

“No.” He frowned. “But I have a meeting in a few with Toph and you already slept through breakfast and lunch after they saw me leaving your room late last night. Don’t want the people to think I’m distracting you from your duties.” He wiggled his eyebrow at her and smiled a cheeky grin.

“And just like that, you ruined the moment being cocky.” Katara feigned annoyance and hopped out of his lap.

“But you said my confidence is attractive."

“I lied.” She smiled, chucking a throw pillow at him. He smoothly caught it and put it back in its place. Katara was glowing and he was beaming with pride that he was the reason behind it.

“So I’ll see you later?” He asked.

“Don’t you always?”

“Yes.” Then he bent down so close, she could feel his breath on her lips. “But this is the first time we’ll be seeing each other as boyfriend and girlfriend and not two friends trying to ignore the obvious.”

“Oh, so I’m your girlfriend now? What will those cranky, old men think?” She asked with a playful tone to her voice.

“I don’t care what they think, I’m the Fire Lord, either they listen to me or they can always join Ozai in prison for being a traitor to the country.” He squeezed her butt as if to prove a point.

She melted at the touch and looked up at him, big, blue eyes sparkling. “I don’t want you to anger your committee over me. If us being together is going to cause a problem, we don’t – no one has to know but us.”

Zuko sighed and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling her closer to him. “We can, if that’s what you want, but just know…the day I took that lightning for you was the day I knew there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make you happy, keep you happy, and show you that you’re loved and protected.”

Katara smiled then and stood on her tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on his lips. When they broke apart, there was an understanding between them that was going to be new and scary and so not perfect, but nothing in their lives ever were and that was okay.

She left out of his study first and he followed behind her shortly after, walking to his meeting without the usual feeling of dread that comes with them.

***

“I knew you had a thing for the Sugar Queen, Sparky.” Toph leaned back and folded her arms over her chest. While everyone else returned to their respective nations and duties, adamant about getting her “field trip with Zuko”, she was staying for a few extra days since it was rumored that Ursa was living in a village on the outskirts of the Earth Kingdom and wanted to be a part of the action. However, as that was more so of a secret mission, they told his officials she was here to help him revise the trade agreement between the Fire Nation and its colonies in the Earth Kingdom, which technically wasn’t a lie. She was currently joining him in the common room after their meeting and effectively getting on his last nerve, in that little sister way.

“Toph, I’m the Fire Lord now. Are you ever going to stop calling me ‘Sparky?’” He asked incredulously.

She guffawed, laughing so hard, she had to lean forward to stop herself from falling backwards in the chair. “Now, why would I do that? Aang is the Avatar and he’s still Twinkle Toes.”

Zuko smiled to himself. He appreciated the 15-year-old girl for not being intimidated by his title and prowess. Even when he was chasing them down in his quest to capture the Avatar, she never was. It made him feel normal. He secretly wondered if it were because she could tell through her seismic sense that he was good underneath the angry, hardened, and scorned exterior.

He could always count on her to ask for piggyback rides as if he wasn’t a member of the Royal Family (which he happily obliged but don’t’ tell anyone) and incessantly tease him about things others wouldn’t dare. He also admired her for standing up to her parents and forging her own destiny, something he wishes he did sooner. Even though he and Katara were good now – although the makeout session that took place a few hours ago would argue that they were great, he still wonders what would’ve happened if he didn’t betray her back in Ba Sing Se.

Toph finally stopped laughing and wiped the tears building up in the corner of her eyes. “No, but seriously. The way you two hearts’ beat like some rabbiroos whenever you’re even _near_ each other. I was this close to bending you guys into a rock tent and not letting you out until nature took its course.”

“Toph!” He scolded jokingly. “Language, young lady.”

“Ugh, you’re such a Dad, Zuko. I’m 15 now, not 12.”

“And still too young so what’s your point?” Zuko raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes, mumbling under her breath that him and Katara were always trying to parent her. She would never admit it to either one of them, but she enjoyed having this relationship with them.

“Anyway, let’s get down to business. I was thinking we could just go to the town where your mom is hiding, absolutely crush any insurgents we run into on the way there, find her, and bring her back here! Boom, problem solved.” Toph let out a battle cry and punched the air.

Zuko smiled a soft smile. “If only it was that easy, kid.”

“I mean, isn’t it? I’m the greatest earthbender in the world.” She said very matter-of-factly. “And you’re a skilled swordsman _and_ one of the most powerful firebenders in the world. I would say the greatest, but you know, your uncle is still alive…no offense.” She looked at him cheekily.

He sighed. “None taken. But I think you’re forgetting how much of a tyrant my father really was. There’s no proof that these rumors are legitimate and even if they are, I can’t exactly pop up and be like ‘Hey mom, it’s me. Time to come back home now.’” Zuko ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. It had gotten longer since he first took the throne. “There’s no telling what was done to her, what he’s done to her…it’s complicated.”

Toph could feel his energy shifting so she walked over to where he was sitting, sat down next to him, and put her head on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Sparky, we’ll find her. And no matter what happens…I can hear and see everything so the next time you and Katara want to swap spit or any other bodily fluids, just know I’ll be listening.” She grinned widely and Zuko blanched.

“You have definitely been hanging out with Ty Lee too much.” He groaned but couldn’t resist ruffling her hair which caused Toph to attempt and fail miserably at pushing him away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I love Toph and Zuko's dynamic. Hope you all enjoyed!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Timeskip

Katara and Zuko had officially been dating for a few months now which meant there was a lot of intentional touching underneath the tables in council meetings, kissing in Zuko’s private gardens, and Katara spending a lot more time in his room than usual.

However, presently, she was trying to refrain from lashing the pompous jerk across from her with a water whip. She was meeting with the Minister of Education regarding the curriculum and budget. For years, the material Fire Nation students learned in their classes were very imperialistic and didn’t portray the other nations in the best light.

Katara, who saved the world from impending doom with people from all cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic classes, didn’t like this and sought to change it, wanting to implement more well-rounded studies. 

And this idiot here insisted that there was nothing wrong with the way it was now, stating that “The Fire Nation has long been the most powerful nation in the world. We have well earned the right to act as such and make sure the other nations stay in their rightful place.”

It sounded like a bunch of propaganda bullshit.

“Minister Zhang.” She was gritting her teeth trying to keep her temper in check. “I just think that the children would really benefit from learning about all of the four nations and their respective cultures. The world isn’t solely the Fire Nation and in my travels – “

“I’m not sure following some 12 year old monk around counts as traveling.” He interrupted.

Katara bit her tongue, nearly drawing blood. “Thank you for that timely interruption but as I was saying – the world is a beautiful place and there’s so much out there for them to learn. Plus, making quality education more accessible and affordable for all citizens and not just for those of the nobility, would work towards eradicating poverty.” She smiled as sweetly as she could muster, proud of herself for managing to explain her stance without losing her cool.

Minister Zhang scoffed. “Can you believe this? 4 years ago, your home country was a backwards, struggling wasteland. You just so happened to be in the right place at the right time and now you think you have the leeway to make suggestions.”

 _Relax, Katara. Don’t do it. Make a good impression._ She kept repeating over and over to herself in her head. The other advisors were looking away as if they couldn’t bear to watch and she could’ve sworn she actually saw one of them mouth at him to shut up.

“I can’t believe the Fire Lord appointed you as an Ambassador, you’re just a waterbending pea-“ Before he could finish the sentence, all of the liquid in the room froze solid and his hands and feet were encased in ice, holding him in place, while he struggled to free himself.

“Don’t bother trying to break the ice. You’ll be frozen for a few hours. That should give you enough time to think over the way you spoke to me just now, which wasn’t very regal of you, and realize you’re a moron.”

Zhang looked dumbfounded while the rest of the advisors were quietly snickering to themselves. Katara smirked, satisfied with herself. But now she had to explain to Zuko why one of his council members were frozen to a chair.

***

Zuko was already in the courtyard when Katara got there. Early on when she first decided to stay in the Fire Nation, they would sometimes run into each other out there after a particularly challenging day and thus, it became a part of their routine – they would meet each other by the turtleduck pond and debrief. Sometimes it led to sparring sessions, sometimes they just sat in silence enjoying each other’s presence, and sometimes, they had deep, retrospective conversations about any and everything in between.

“Sorry I’m late.” She spoke softly as she next to him on the bench. He silently handed her a piece of a bread to feed the turtleducks with and she took it, pinching small pieces off and throwing it into the water.

“How was your day?” He asked her, breaking the silence.

Katara contemplated her answer. She wasn’t sure how much he knew and honestly, she didn’t really want to talk about it. As much as she was proud of herself for standing up for what she thought was right – she knew that there were still some Ozai Loyalists out there that that didn’t respect Zuko as their leader, and she didn’t want her actions to reflect poorly on him.

“It was eventful.” She responded. See, that wasn't a lie. It _was_ eventful.

“Hmm.” Zuko scratched his chin as if he were thinking about something.

“What about yours?”

Zuko perked up at this question. “Mine was pretty boring, definitely _not_ eventful like yours. It consisted of the usual – signing documents, meetings, drafting agreements.”

Katara laughed nervously – she had a feeling he was up to something and it made her uneasy.

“However, I did get some excitement when my advisors mentioned to me that you froze the Minister of Education to his seat.” He looked at her and grinned.

“I – but he, I’m sorry!” She sputtered exasperatedly, throwing herself at him and sprawling across his lap.

He chuckled and started running his fingers through her hair. “I’m not mad.”

She looked up at him sheepishly. “You’re not?”

He looked down at her and kissed her on the forehead. “No, they told me what happened. I’m proud of you. And he’s a dick so he definitely deserved that.”

“That pig-headed moron doesn’t even see the value in making sure all children in the Fire Nation receive the same quality! They are literally the future of not only this country, but the entire world. How could he be so stupid?”

This was one honestly one of the reasons why Zuko fell for her. She was truly passionate about making the world a better place and never backed down from anyone. Even back when they were teenagers, she always fought against him head-on. When she challenged him at the Northern Water Tribe when she just became a master, her sheer bravery, confidence, and strength amazed him. For a waterbender, she had such a firebender’s personality but was still gentle and nurturing. 

“All of the nations are unique and powerful in their own way – continuing this ideology that only the Fire Nation is worth something is how we ended up in 100-year-long war. I won’t let all of the lives that were lost, be in vain. And then he called me a peasant.” Katara spoke the word with so much disgust and was too engrossed in her venting to notice the flash of anger that went across Zuko’s face.

“He did what?” He asked, half-yelling.

Katara stopped and stared up at him. “I thought you said your advisors told you what happened.”

“They did, but they must have left that part out because they knew it would piss me off.” He sighed and Katara sat up, taking his hand in hers.

“Zuko, it’s okay. I handled it. “ She smiled.

“I know you did but I hate how some of them think they can talk to you. I wish I was there to see his face when he realized he was frozen solid, but I guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t. I’ve gotten a lot better at controlling my temper, but when it comes to people I care about...” He trailed off and Katara knew exactly what he meant.

Toph briefly had a fling with someone in the Earth Kingdom when she returned home and she clearly remembers having to stop him from going down there and singeing the guy to a crisp after it was discovered that he only was interested in her for her nobility and war hero status. A long conversation ensued afterwards about how he can’t just go around doing that anymore because he’s the Fire Lord now but Zuko defended himself by saying “Toph was _hurt,_ Katara. I had to do something. Sokka even agreed with me and he _never_ does that.” It made her heart swell at the memory that he was so protective.

“Yeah, I’m just glad you’re not mad.” She sighed before continuing. “If only there was a way to get him to see my point.”

Zuko looked at her then. “You can’t reason with people like that, Katara. Besides, I’ve been trying to get rid of him for a while now. The schools aren’t failing, but there’s definitely room for improvement. The annual reports came back and the teachers nor the students are happy. With Aang being such a public figure, us being who we are – it’s kind of hard to hide the truth from them, and not only do they deserve to know, they want to.”

He smiled at her. “So I decided to overrule him and make your legislation a top priority.”

Katara’s eyes widened. “You’re serious?

“Yup.”

“You’re not doing this just because of me, right?”

“Katara, you’re absolutely correct in your stance. I wouldn’t be a good leader if I didn’t take into consideration others’ opinion even if they are…peasants.” He inflicted the last word with a teasing tone so she shot him a stern look back that said, ‘watch it’.

But she couldn’t hide the adoration in her face. Zuko inherited a mess of a country at 16 and at 21 was already cleaning up mistakes he didn’t make by listening to his people, their wants and needs.

“However, as long as you’re in the Fire Nation, my word is law so next time, just ask me and I’ll do it.”

“Isn’t that taking advantage of the fact that my boyfriend is the Fire Lord?”

Zuko released his hand from her hold and began trailing it up her body, stopping when he got to her neck to brush her hair back. He placed a soft kiss on her collarbone before he whispered against her skin. “Taking advantage of your boyfriend being the Fire Lord would be me ordering you to my room tonight.”

“Zuko…”

Any rebuttal she had turned into a whimper as he started sucking on her neck, only stopping to stand up and lead her to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually wrote a continuation of the last scene here. It's pure filth mixed with romance lol. I initially was going to post it but I have honestly never written anything like that before so I'm a little self-conscious. Plus, I don't want to alienate my younger readers if I have any. I may post it as a solo fic - if you're interested in that, just comment and let me know. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Fluff Ahead :)

In the middle of the night, Zuko instinctively reaches for Katara in his sleep.

He nearly bolts out of bed when the space next to him that has recently been occupied since they've started dating, is empty. He quickly lights some of the sconces lining the walls with a flick of his wrist, illuminating the dark room. He hastily looks around and sees that the door to his balcony is open and the moonlight is peaking through.

The tension he was holding dissipates when he sees Katara's petite frame and her long, chocolate locks blowing lightly in the wind.

"Katara?" He questions as he steps forward.

"Oh, sorry, did I wake you?" She asks looking over her shoulder to acknowledge him.

"Yes and no. I reached for you in my sleep and you weren't there. You know I like to cuddle."

Katara smiles to herself. Yes, she did know that. As it turns out, Zuko is a stage 5 clinger. Since she started sleeping in his room some nights, he was always holding onto her in some way while they slept. It was adorable but also suffocating because Tui and La, he was a walking furnance.

"I couldn't sleep."

Zuko fully joins her out on the balcony. "Are you okay?"

She sucks in a breath. "Did Sokka ever tell you his first girlfriend turned into the moon?"

He raises an eyebrow at her, not sure where this is going. "Um, yeah, why?"

"When Admiral Zhao killed the moon spirit, I felt so powerless and scared, completely disconnected from my element. It was like an out of body experience. "

Zuko's heart aches then. His nation has inflicted so much pain on her. It was his grandfather that practically decimated her entire tribe.

And yet, she looked beyond all of that and still chose him.

"I'm sorry, Katara. If I could go back in time and fix it, I would. I would -"

He starts going on a tangent and Katara waves a hand to silence him. "I'm not mad at you, Zuko. Not anymore, at least." She smiles then. "And you've more than made it up to me. It's just the moon is so bright right now, I felt drawn to it. Like Yue is saying hello. Sokka's not a waterbender but I imagine he feels it too, especially being in the South Pole."

He looks at her, really looks at her, and she's so radiant, it nearly takes his breath away. The moon is shining on her skin and reflecting off that sparkle in her eyes he loves so much.

"Do you...do you ever regret staying here? With me, I mean?" The question tumbles of his mouth before he's had a chance to think about it.

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

Zuko smiles sheepishly. He was always confident and in Katara’s own words "stubborn as a Komodo rhino" but she always had a way of making him feel soft and quite shy. He wasn't used to that.

"I don’t know. I guess I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared that one day, you'll wake up, and this isn't what you want anymore. That I'm not what you want."

Katara scoffs then. "You're the one that's the imposing Fire Lord. I'm the one that should be worried about you leaving me. According to some people, I'm a nobody and you can do _so_ much better."

He begins to laugh. "No, never". Then frowns. "Besides, I know a couple of guys who think the exact opposite."

"What do you mean?"

Zuko puts on a mocking, dude-bro voice. "Ambassador Katara, she's such a babe. There's no way Zuko is handling that. I mean, he barely could stand up to his sister. I'd _love_ to drown in her water, if you know what I mean. Trust me, Katara. People like you. Maybe a little too much." He grumbles.

"Are you equating me being desired to you being admired?" She poses, challenging him.

Zuko blanks. "Uh, no, absolutely not. It's not the same thing. I was just saying that some...think you're really attractive."

Katara giggles at him stumbling over his words. "Relax, Sifu Hotman, I think it's cute when you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" He yells, red in the face.

The guards underneath patrolling the palace briefly look up, only to shake their heads when they see the duo, probably mumbling to themselves how crazy their Fire Lord is.

She's outright laughing now, nearly doubling over on herself. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Zuko pulls her into him and wraps his arms around her waist. " _You_ help me sleep at night."

He then wiggles his eyebrows and smiles at her suggestively.

Katara looks up and sees that the sky is starting to turn that familiar shade of pink and purple that signifies the sun is about to rise.

"Oh, no. Zuko, no."

"Oh yes, waterbender. See, you rise with the moon but I rise with the sun".

In an instant, Zuko is picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder.

Katara squeals. "You are insatiable."

***

Outside his door, one guard looks at the other.

"They're really about to do it? Again? That's twice in one night." 

"Just make sure the maids know to change his sheets tomorrow." The older guard dismisses the younger one's concern, quite happy that their Lord is being satisfied. 

And by the sound of it, Master Katara was too.

***

When Katara woke up the next morning, she was shocked to see Zuko coming out of the washroom. He was usually gone by now – rising with the sun and all of that. He was shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist and as her eyes trailed over his body, memories of earlier this morning and the way he felt on top and underneath her rushed through her head.

“Good morning to you too, Katara.” He was smirking and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m just surprised to see you here, that’s all.” She sat up and the sheets fell. Zuko licked his lip at the sight causing her to blush and hurry to pull the sheets back up.

“You’re ridiculous.”

Zuko crossed the room and leaned across the bed, placing a kiss on her lips. “You like it though.” He whispered against them when they pulled apart, grinning.

“Only sometimes.” She smiled back.

Zuko busied himself getting dressed and Katara just sat back and watched. There was something so enthralling about watching him get ready for his day, how precise he was about everything. “So what are you still doing here? You’re typically gone by this time.” She asked.

He looked over his shoulder at her. “Someone scratched my back up. I needed to soak.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault?” She got out of the bed and grabbed one of his spare robes from the wardrobe, loosely wrapping it around her. She walked over to him, pulling some water from the bathroom, and placed her hand on his back, watching it glow as the thin, red lines began to fade.

He sighed in comfort at her touch. “Thank you.” She smiled at him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his scarred cheek. “You’re welcome, love. Now hurry up and get ready. You don’t want to keep your council waiting.”

“Can’t I just stay here with you?” He pouted.

“No, you cannot.” Katara gently chided him like he was a child. “You have work to do and I have work to do.”

“But I’m the Fire Lord! I can do what I want.” He crossed his arms over his chest and genuinely looked irritated.

She placed her hands on his face and he scrunched his nose up. “You’re always so cold.” He whined and she dropped her hands.

“That doesn’t mean I want you to stop.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re acting like a moody, petulant child again.” Katara ran her hands up his sides and pecked his lips. “Are you 21 or 16?”

His arms found their way around her waist. “It’s not my fault you make me feel like a teenager.”

“It’s not my fault you make me feel like a teenager.” Katara repeated back to him, deepening her voice in an attempt to mock and sound like him. “Flattery isn’t going to get you out of doing your job, now go.” She patted his chest.

Zuko huffed. “Fine.”

“Good boy. Maybe I’ll reward you later for behaving.”

At this, he perked up. “Can I have it now?”

“Zuko, no. Get dressed and get out of here before I drag you down there myself.”

With a groan, he finished putting on the rest of his regalia, grumbling to himself that she was kicking him out of his own room and being bossy.

“I heard that!” She yelled from the bathroom.

“Love you! Bye!” He called back.

Today was going to be a good day. 

Or so they thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, what am I planning?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I felt bad for not updating so quickly.

Zuko was sitting on his throne. He rarely used it, remembering how threatening and domineering it felt as a child, but Minister Zhang requested an audience with him today and he wanted to make sure that he got the message loud and clear.

The guards escorted him in, and he came to stood right in front of him. “My Lord, I’m pleased that you agreed to meet with me. We have important matters to discuss.”

“What’s so important that you requested an audience?” Zuko questioned. The conversation just started and he was already annoyed.

“It appears to me that you have set a motion to overrule my order regarding the school curriculum.”

“Yes, I did.”

“But why? Surely you can’t possibly agree with Ambassador Katara. I mean, what does she know?”

Zuko growled and the pillars of flames on each side of the throne flared.

“Ambassador Katara is highly respected as the sole surviving waterbender from her tribe, a renowned healer, war hero, and master of her craft. Her word is just as valuable as yours and mine.”

Minister Zhang pulled at his beard as if he were thinking of something. “That may be true, but she’s not from the Fire Nation.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” The flames were growing wildly and Zuko took a moment to remind himself to calm down.

He smirked. “I knew you weren’t ready to be a leader. You know absolutely nothing about your own country’s rules and regulations.” Minister Zhang paused then and looked directly at him as if issuing a challenge.

“I’ll have you know that your great-grandfather made it illegal for non-Fire Nation individuals to have a say in our matters, even if they do hold a position, to preserve our culture and status as the greatest nation. By law, Ambassador Katara committed treason and is a threat. And by law, either you banish her or she faces me. In an Agni Kai.”

In an instant, Zuko was in his face glaring at him. “How dare you threaten her?! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t challenge you to one right now.”

“Aw, what’s the matter? The former banished prince won’t let his concubine fight her own battles? I did hear that Water Tribe women are better in bed so I get it.”

It all happened so fast, the guards barely had time to intervene. When they did, Minister Zhang was clutching his sides, badly beaten and Zuko didn’t even have to use his bending. He was being dragged out of the room and to the prison underneath the palace by two of them.

As Zuko tried to steady himself, suddenly feeling a little lightheaded, one of his most trusted advisors and regents ran into the room. His eyes widened. “Your majesty, you’re bleeding!”

Zuko looked down and sure enough, blood was trickling from his waist.

“Get Katara.”

The last thing he saw was a flurry of people swarming him as his eyes closed and his body hit the ground.

***

Katara was having tea with one of the visiting nobles’ wife, Lady Aiko. They were slowly but surely coming around to her and she appreciated having someone to talk to about the struggles of trying to balance being a political figure and still maintaining your own life and privacy.

“So you and Fire Lord Zuko made it official, hm?”

Katara nearly choked on her tea and blinked, cheeks flushing pink as she did so.

The woman sitting across from her used her cup to hide her smile. “You’re glowing.”

“Is it that obvious?” She asked in embarrassment.

“Mhmm.” Lady Aiko was outright grinning now. “People talk. The Capital City may be big but word travels fast. I was wondering when you were two going to stop beating around the bush like a badgermole and just do it.” She paused then and smirked. “Literally and figuratively.”

Katara’s mouth dropped open in shock. “I—huh?”

“Oh, please. You don’t have to keep up the prim and proper act with me. Those old bastards can be so annoying with their ‘A Royal woman shouldn’t do this or say that’ rhetoric.” She reached across the table and took Katara’s hand then. “I know what it feels likes to be a fish out of water and I was raised in this lifestyle. So don’t beat yourself up too much. The Fire Lord loves you.”

Katara smiled as the older woman squeezed her hand in reassurance.

“Thank you, Lady Aiko.”

“You’re very welcome, but please, just call me Aiko. Like all of my friends do.”

There was a brief pause between them before she spoke again.

“Now, is it true that fire-bending men are…well-endowed?”

Katara nearly shrieked at the question. “Are you serious!?”

“Please, Katara. Entertain an old woman who doesn’t get around much anymore.”

“Well....” She blushed. “He’s definitely not lacking in that department.” 

“And he’s a descendant of Avatar Roku, oh, it must be magical!”

Katara smiled and the two of them giggled like schoolgirls sharing a dirty secret.

Just then, the door slammed open and one of the many servants ran in. Both Katara and Aiko’s head snapped up in its direction, concern evident on their faces. It wasn’t normal for someone to just come into a room, especially without asking permission first, so it must have been something serious.

“Fire Lord Zuko.” She breathed, bending over to let air circulate in her lungs. “He’s been hurt.”

***

_Zuko._

_Hurt._

_Blood._

Katara doesn’t know how she got to the palace infirmary so quickly. One minute she was having a light-hearted conversation with Lady Aiko and the next, she was running as fast her legs could carry, panic and fear rising in her chest.

For the first time since she decided to stay in the Fire Nation, she was able to go through the palace hallways without anyone stopping her to ask a question. But why would they? Their leader was lying in a bed injured from an assassination attempt.

The guards solemnly opened the door to the room he was stationed in, trained to have a poker face in every situation, yet the sadness was evident in their eyes, and if Katara didn’t know any better, she thinks there’s a “we’re sorry” hidden in them somewhere.

When she walks into his room, no one tries to stop her from sitting on the edge of his bed and the nurses that were there tending to him looks at her with a small, sad smile before stepping out of the room to give them some privacy.

With a shaky breath, she runs a glowing hand over his fresh, bandaged wound, checking for anything the doctors might have missed.

They were supposedly the best in the world.

But still.

She couldn’t be too sure.

She let out a sigh of relief when she realized there was no major internal damage. He would be in a lot of pain and out of commission for a couple of weeks (even longer, if she has it her way), but he would heal.

“Well, they did a pretty good job patching you up.” She croaked, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“Of course, they did. They’ve had extra training by the best healer in the world.”

Katara looks up and sees Iroh standing in the doorway. He comes to sit next to her and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“This should have never happened. He doesn’t deserve this.” She speaks after a period of extended silence, not even acknowledging his compliment because right now, she feels like she failed.

“He already has so many scars.” The last word comes out as a sob – it’s bitter and hard to swallow. She saw his shirtless, muscular from years of training, porcelain body all of the time. She knew where every single one was – some she put there herself when they were two kids fighting against each other.

“This is all my fault.” Like Lady Aiko said, word traveled fast – it didn’t take long for her to find out _who_ did it and _why_. “I never should have said anything. I can’t stand to see him like this.”

She was shaking now with tears streaming down her cheeks and the water left in one of the basins was beginning to thrash around.

“Katara.” Iroh spoke, squeezing her arm in an attempt to get her to calm down. “None of this is your fault. Minister Zhang has been discovered to be apart of the New Ozai Society. He always had intentions to harm Zuko.”

“Somehow…that doesn’t make me feel better.” She said sadly.

Iroh nodded in understanding but noticed that the water came to a standstill, smiling to himself. “Well, I’m off to keep the press from spreading incessant rumors and ensure the public that Zuko will be okay.”

He patted her shoulder and stood up. Before leaving the room, he looked back at her.

“But try to get some rest, niece. Zuko will still be there if you go to sleep. He is as stubborn as a Komodo-rhino.”

Katara smiled a bit. “Thank you, Iroh. I’ll try.”

***

Katara tried to take Iroh’s advice. Really, she did. But like clockwork, almost every hour on the hour, she was up checking his wound, healing it when she saw fit, and making sure Zuko was comfortable. She made a mental note to address how eerie the room looked later. The infirmary was set up much like a military hospital and lacked the comforting, homely feeling she was sure patients would appreciate. She was about to place her hands on Zuko’s forehead for the umpteenth time to check for a fever when he reached out and grabbed her hands.

She hadn't slept in almost 24 hours so for a brief moment, she entertained the idea that she was hallucinating.

“Katara.” His voice was raspy in its usual ‘just woke up’ way and she felt her heart flutter.

“Zuko? You’re awake?”

He smiled, eyes still closed, and hands holding on to her wrists. “Yes, I’m awake and I want you to stop. I don’t have a fever.” His eyes popped open then and he grinned. “I've felt you check like 6 times already.”

Katara resisted the urge to punch him. How dare he give her a heart attack like this?

“I…just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” She said softly, looking down.

Zuko let go of her hands and attempted to push himself up, grimacing in pain.

“Will you let me help you!? I’m a healer, not a miracle worker.” She immediately helped him sit up, annoyance and frustration evident in her voice because someone insisted on being stubborn and bull-headed.

He rolled his eyes. “I could’ve done it by myself.”

“You’re welcome.” Katara crossed her arms over her chest and sat away from him on the bed.

“Why are you sitting all the way over there?”

She started playing with the ends of her hair.

“Katara?”

“I was so scared, okay. I’ve already lost so many people – I don’t want to lose you too. I can’t.” She takes a deep breath. “Why does this have to be so hard? Why can’t we just run away together and forget the world?”

Zuko bit back the thought that they actually could – he was still the Fire Lord, hospitalized or not. He could do anything that was within his power and right to do so.

“I love you so much and it hurts me to see people treat you like you’re disposable. If I ever see Minister Zhang again, I will kill him, Zuko. And you can’t stop me.” She looked at him then and he was smiling that cheeky, Cheshire cat smile again.

“Can you not look so excited about the thought of me killing the man who tried to kill you?” Katara deadpanned.

“I’m not.” Shifting a bit, he patted the spot next to him and albeit reluctantly, she carefully moved to lay next to him, mindful of his injury.

“I’m not made of paper, Katara.”

“No, you’re not, but you were literally stabbed not even 24 hours ago and if you don’t want to be incapacitated for a month instead of a few weeks, I suggest you let me continue to treat you the same way I would treat any other patient.” She scolded.

“Do you kiss your other patients?” He squeezed her thigh.

“Oh, no sir, out of commission means none of that either. All of your strength needs to be dedicated to healing.”

“Oh, c’mon, that’s not even fair!”

“Keep whining and I’ll make it two months.”

Zuko scowled and grumbled like a cranky teenager.

Katara rolled her eyes. “You’re such a spoiled brat.” Then placed a soft, chaste kiss on his lips anyway.

They stayed like that in a comfortable silence, holding each other. Reassured that Zuko would, in fact, be there when she woke up, Katara finally fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Language
> 
> I'm sorry for taking so long to get this out. I recently started working as a graduate assistant for my graduate program and I must admit, working from home is actually a lot more difficult than I thought it would be lol. My eyes burn from all of the Zoom meetings.

To say Katara was on edge since Zuko had been discharged from the infirmary would be an understatement. While Iroh had taken over most of his duties, Katara was spreading herself between her Ambassador duties and being Zuko’s personal in-house doctor.

Much to Zuko’s chagrin, although she meant well, she was getting on his nerves. From the random pop-ups in the middle of the day – Katara had him confined to his bedroom so she could “keep an eye on him”, to the constant poking and prodding to see if the wound was healing properly (it was, Zuko knew that, Katara knew that – there was really no need for her to do all of this in his opinion), and doting on him excessively (okay, he didn’t mind that part that much but he would never let her know that), she was 10 times more high strung than usual. 

And that was saying a lot because on a good day Katara was known was her bossy, fiery personality. But with Zuko being on bedrest? She was simultaneously proving that she not only would she make a great Fire Lady off the strength of how well she took care of him while staying on top of her own responsibilities, but that she did, in fact, wear the pants in their relationship.

Zuko grumbled. It was the middle of the afternoon and the sun was at its peak, shining brightly through the drawn back curtains in the window and charging his body with energy.

As a firebender, this was practically torture. He would honestly rather be back in the cooler because at least he could bend using his breath of fire.

Then, he got an idea.

An idea Katara might finish the job and end him for if she found out – but as long as she didn’t find out, and he was sure she wouldn't, he should be good.

Zuko was quite familiar with Katara’s schedule and it was right about time for her midday recess, which meant she would be somewhere having tea with some of the nobles’ wives and gossiping.

This was the perfect time for him to sneak down to the courtyard and get some sparring in. But he wouldn’t be able to get past the guards – he overheard Katara using her charm and wit to get them to agree to tell her if he tried to leave earlier that morning. It honestly didn't take much though. After all, Katara used her charm on him all of the time and like a lovesick fool, he fell for it despite his resolve and self-control being two of his most redeeming traits.

Suddenly, he had _another_ idea. Bedrest seemed to be doing wonders for his strategic planning skills.

There was a secret passage that lead to every part of the palace – he could easily use one of the routes to get in and get out and no one would ever know.

With a smirk, he grabbed his dao swords off the mantel and gently turned down one of the sconces, which revealed the hidden doorway.

***

Zuko’s body was slick with sweat and he was panting in short breaths. The sun was beaming down on him and he could feel the pent-up energy simultaneously leaving and traveling through his body. Like a well-oiled machine, he was slicing the air with the swords and alternating with kicks.

He was just about to turn and start another move when a whip of water curled around his wrist, catching his attention.

_Oh shit._

“Katara.” He breathed, chest heaving with exertion. He dropped the weapons like a child that just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and they fell to the ground with a _clank._

Her eyes were narrowed into slits and her arms were folded across her chest. She was giving him the best “you’re in trouble” face she could muster and it was working in multiple ways.

He was effectively perturbed but also slightly aroused because with her arms crossed over her chest, it was pushing her breasts up in her top and damnit, it’s been _2 weeks_.

“Zuko.” She walked to him, menacingly, with an accusatory look in her eye and a finger pointed at him. He looked down at the ground, only to ignore the way her skirt clung to her waist and the sway in her hips, making a mental note to give the palace seamstress a raise or at least start a “Katara’s Wardrobe” budget so she can continue wearing outfits like this.

“Yes, my love?” He asked sheepishly, feigning innocence and looking in the eyes that were glaring back at him.

“Do not ‘yes, my love’ me. What are you doing out of your room? And how did you get out of your room? Did you use one of the secret passages?”

“I did n-“

She raised an eyebrow, warning him not to lie to her.

“Okay, I did use the secret passages to sneak out of my room because I am a _firebender_ , Katara, you cannot expect me to just ignore the sun beaming in like that, and you weren’t even supposed to _know_ about those in the first place!” He whined.

How did this woman manage to seemingly know his every single move? It wasn’t fair.

Katara shook her head and sighed, her anger dissipating and turning into frustration. He titled his head curiously. She never backed down this easily.

“Katara…?” He questioned, staring at her with concern in his eyes. She took his hand and led him towards one of the benches in the courtyard. Sitting down, she patted the space next to her and he followed. Silently, she pulled some water from the fountain and ran a gloved hand over his bandage. Zuko couldn’t stop the sigh of relief that spilled out of his mouth – the adrenaline that he typically felt whenever he was bending or fighting numbed the pain, but now that he was sitting down and his breathing returned to normal – he was sore.

But she still hadn’t said anything and that was troubling him.

“I….I’m sorry from keeping you in your room. Or at least trying to since that was clearly a fail.” The last part came out more harshly than she intended, and she cringed.

Zuko bit the inside of his cheek, weighing his next words carefully. “Do you…feel like you failed?”

Katara nodded sadly and looked away, fixating her attention on anywhere but him.

“But why? You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t hurt me.”

“Well, yeah but I wasn’t there protect you either.” She scoffed and stood up. “Just like I couldn’t protect my mother.”

Zuko’s face dropped and he reached out to grab her hand, but she snatched it away.

“Did someone say something again?” He was on his feet now.

She shook her head, chocolate waves falling around her face. “You know...maybe it’s best if we go back to pretending that what we have isn’t there. You’ve worked so hard to make the Fire Nation better than what it was and I can’t get in the way of that anymore.”

“Katara…” He was staring at her with a mixture of emotions on his face. “What are you saying?”

Katara finally looked up at him and her cheeks were streaked with tears. “I’m saying…I don’t think this is working…and it’s best if I go back to where I came from. I’ll sleep in a different room tonight and get my things in the morning. I’ll officially resign and be gone by the end of the week.”

***

Zuko felt like he just got punched in the chest.

After watching Katara walk away, he made the sad, lonely, trek back to his quarters. He wanted to be alone and couldn’t be bothered with the meals the servants left outside his door.

He was sad, and hurt, but more importantly, angry. While Katara blamed herself for not protecting him, he blamed himself for not doing enough to protect her. He knew what he was dealing with – pompous, bigoted jerks who had their heads so far up their own asses, it amazed him that they couldn't smell their own shit and yet, he dragged her into that anyway with no safety net.

With a frustrated growl, he let out a stream of fire through his mouth, singeing the ceiling.

“Fire Lord Zuko.” A feminine voice rang through the large door.

“Fuck off!” He yelled. Holy fucking Agni, what part of he was not to be disturbed did they not understand?

“Well, that’s no way to talk to your uncle and Lady Aiko, nephew.”

At the sound of Iroh’s voice, Zuko sighed, anger only slightly subsiding, indicated by the tendrils of steam rising from his body.

He opened the door and both of them were standing there with empathetic looks on their faces.

It was Lady Aiko who spoke first. “We heard about what happened with Katara.”

Zuko’s heart sank at the mention of her name. Of course, they heard. Everyone probably did and he was positive that there were some imbeciles out there rejoicing over the fact that the best damn thing that ever happened to him is leaving.

“Can we come in?”

He reluctantly nodded and the two of them joined him in the expansive living area. They sat in an arguably comfortable silence until Lady Aiko decided to break it. 

“She’s scared, Zuko.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Scared of what?”

Lady Aiko gestured to the room with her hands. “All of this.” Then she offered a small smile and placed her hands in her lap. “Your uncle brought me here to talk to you. We’re good friends. And I think I know how Katara is feeling.”

He looked at her skeptically. 

“When I first started dating Noble Han, everyone hated me. They didn’t approve of our relationship.”

“But you’re…” Zuko implied, confused.

“Yes, I come from a family with status, so to speak, but we definitely weren’t apart of the aristocracy and I'm what they call a 'half-breed' for the lack of a better term, with my mother being from the Earth Kingdom.” She paused briefly. “In fact, it was your uncle here who vouched for me when the elders were trying to determine if we would be allowed to marry.”

At this, Iroh smiled. “She is being far too kind – I merely told them that they would be fools to not allow them to proceed with the wedding.”

The lithe woman seemed to know what Zuko was thinking and answered. “My father and Iroh were really good friends. They fought in the war together. He always agreed to look out for me if something happened to him. So when I told him who I was dating and he saw how happy we made each other…”

“I knew I couldn’t let them be torn apart and I won’t let that happen to you and Miss Katara.” Iroh interrupted. Then he grinned wildly. “Anyone who can make my brooding, angsty nephew blush like a prepubescent schoolboy is okay in my book.”

Zuko huffed, partially embarrassed. “I don’t blush.”

They two of them threw their heads back in laughter. “You’re right, you don’t. I think ‘blush’ is too small of a word to describe the shade of red your face gets.”

He couldn’t even deny this because he felt heat rush to the other half of his face.

“See, you’re doing it now and she’s nowhere near you. She's down the hall.”

At this, Zuko perked up.

“She’s in the Fire Lady’s private chambers.” Iroh mentioned, as if it was no big deal that his girlfriend (ex?) was holed up in the room reserved for the wife of the Fire Lord. Granted, Katara's suite was being renovated to reflect her own personal style, but still. There were tens, if not more, other rooms she could be in right now since she was adamant about sleeping alone. Why that one? 

Lady Aiko stood up and Iroh followed. “I’m heading back to Ember Island early in the morning- visiting the capital city is always a pleasure but I believe we’ve been away for far too long. Just make sure you bring Katara by soon – I’m sure she’ll love being by the water.” She spoke eloquently, then bowed.

She began to walk out of the room, but stopped shortly, looking back with a sly smile on her face. “You can thank me later at the wedding.”

With a wink, she disappeared down the hall. Zuko didn’t miss the high five exchanged between the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration for this chapter - I've honestly been feeling a bit down lately. I recently had my last counseling session (full transparency here, I have depression, anxiety, and some PTSD) and I thought to myself "I was doing so well, why am I sad?" Then I remembered that even with therapy, counseling, and self-care, these things aren't just something that goes away. It's always there - sometimes you have good days and sometimes you have bad ones. I figure Zuko falling victim to an assassination attempt within her proximity would be quite triggering and when you're triggered, sometimes you can have a drastic (but valid) reaction because your emotions and feelings are overstimulated so in that moment, you're doing what you think is best. So this happened. And I know everyone's experience is different, but this is based on mine.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried writing this at 3 in the morning knowing I have work at 10am. But those Zutara videos do it everytime and I couldn't sleep without getting this out <3

Katara sat staring at her reflection in the large vanity mirror. She’d been crying on and off the past few hours and she honestly felt quite pathetic. She hated how Zuko managed to stir up emotions in her that she got used to masking for so long as a child.

Is this what being in love feels like? Gran Gran told her it wouldn't always be easy but quite frankly, she’s wasn't too keen on the phenomenon right not. 

“That stupid, insufferable, attractive man!” She cried. Part of her wanted to march down to his room, throw herself in his arms, and say sorry – she didn’t mean it when she said she was leaving but he literally almost _died_ , coming to her defense, _again_. And she was _terrified._

She was just some “waterbending peasant”, after all, or at least what that’s what the naysayers said. How did he love her so much that he was willing to put his life on the line over and over again? Why did he love her so much? When it was so much easier to be with someone else? She heard what some women said about him – Zuko was very desirable. Wealth and status aside as one of the most powerful figures in the world (really, he was probably only behind Aang in that department), he was actually good-looking and had a nice personality underneath the hard exterior.

 _Hard._ Katara gulped. It’s been a long, exhausting two weeks, and the absence of something hard in between her legs was starting to get to her.

But really, that was her fault too. Zuko tried multiple times, even with a gash in his side, claiming “that still works” but she was already struggling to come to terms with what happened and she didn’t want to make it worse.

Just then, the door creaked open and she immediately jumped into a defensive, bending stance.

Zuko stepped forward and chuckled. “I come in peace.”

She dropped her water skin and returned to a non-combative position, but the tension in her body was evident.

“Zuko. Why are you here? And how did you get in here?”

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he closed the door behind him.

“I am the Fire Lord.” He stated matter of factly, coming to sit on the chaise.

Katara scowled. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. I’m sure you’re well aware that is the Fire Lady’s private chambers. You’re supposed to knock first before entering.”

Zuko smirked and she wanted to knock it off his face because she was still upset but he also looked damn good. It was a conflicting feeling.

“You’re right. I should’ve knocked first. But if I did and told you it was me, you would’ve never let me in. And I need you to hear me out.”

She sighed. She couldn’t argue with him there. She wouldn’t have let him in and promptly would’ve froze the lock.

Katara took a seat across from him on the ottoman, crossing her legs. She noticed the way his eyes trailed up her body as she was only in her undergarments.

_Well, at least, I’m not the only one suffering here._

He took a deep breath. “Katara, I love you.”

“I know that, Zuko. I love you too.”

With a growl, he crossed the space between them and pulled her into his lap. “You've been in charge for the past two weeks. It’s my turn now and you're going to listen to me.”

Katara huffed, but she didn’t attempt to thrash out of his arms.

Zuko saw an open opportunity and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Good girl.” He whispered in her ear. She shivered in response and he documented the motion away in his “ways to tease Katara and make her come undone without her even realizing it” file.

“Back to what I was saying before I was _rudely_ interrupted…I love you. I'm in love with you.”

She blinked. “Where are you going with this? I need to start packing. I already wrote my letter of resignation and –“

“Woman, if you interrupt me again, I will put something in your mouth.”

Katara, amused, decided to play along. “I would love that, actually.”

“Ha! I’m sure you would but I’m not done so stop talking.” He grinned cheekily then resumed his serious expression.

“I know you didn’t write the letter yet because you really don’t want to leave. You’re scared and you have every right to be.” He paused. “This, us, scares the hell out of me too. I worry all of the time that I’m not being a good Fire Lord, that Azula will never be my little sister again, that with one slip-up, this new era of peace will fall apart, just like that. But you have been there for me every single step of the way. Even when we were just friends. I offered you the Ambassador position because I knew you could do the job – and look at everything you’ve already done. You’ve given the sick and injured their lives back, helped establish women’s rights in the North Pole, improved the education system, and boosted the morale of those who thought they could never hope again.”

He sighed and took her face in his hands, kissing away the fresh tears and pushing her hair out of her face. “You have not failed. Everything I am right now is because of you. _You_ make me better. And my biggest regret aren’t these scars – it’s letting you walk around with all of this pain.” 

He pulled away and reached into the pocket of his pants, pulling out a small box. Katara’s eyes widened.

“Don’t worry, it’s not a betrothal necklace. At least... _not yet_.” He said sheepishly. “I would never try to replace the one your mother gave you.”

He opened it carefully and held it out to her. Inside, was a beautiful gold bracelet with alternating sapphire and ruby stones along the band. In the middle was a pendant with an engraving of Tui and La encircling a tiny flame.

It was _beautiful_.

“I was going to give this to you later, but I figured, now would be a good time to have it.” He gently took it out of the box. 

“Even when we were enemies, I knew you were special.”

Katara scoffed. “Oh please, we were never enemies.”

Zuko rolled his eyes, motioning for her to give him one of her wrists. “Yeah, right. You threatened to end me so many times.”

"I do that now." She laughed and Zuko felt his heart swell. He loved her laugh – it was loud and boisterous, and he was proud of his ability to entice that noise from her. Along with several others that weren’t so appropriate.

"You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun.” He smiled and Katara blushed at the reference.

Placing the bracelet around her wrist, Zuko asked “Katara, will you wear this bracelet as a promise that no matter what happens, we’ll always find our way back to each other? That you’ll stay and make it work with me because what we have is worth it? I think this is. Us.”

She seemed to be mulling her decision over and it was making him nervous. And he was expected to propose to her in a few years when they were ready? The thought both freaked him out and made him smile a goofy grin.

Yes, give or take a year or two, he would ask Katara to be his wife and she would (hopefully) say yes.

“I think you’re worth it, Zuko.”

“Is that a yes?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, it’s a no.”

He tilted his head in shock. “Really?”

“Spirits, how are you still such a dweeb?” She pushed him playfully, and he fell back against the rug. She pressed against him and kissed his lips. “It’s a yes.”

Zuko laid there in a daze, staring up at her with bright, gold eyes.

“Zuko? Oh no, I hurt you, didn’t I? I’m sorry, I’ll get up.” Before she could scramble to get up, Zuko grinded against her and she stalled in place.

“Are you serious right now? That’s what’s on your mind after the day we’ve had?”

“It’s been 2 weeks, Katara. You said I had to limit my physical activity.”

“And sex is a physical activity.”

“Yes, but I _am_ limiting it if we only go for one round instead of my usual three. And you can’t say you don’t want it too – I saw the way you were looking at me when I was sparring. You were objectifying me with your eyes.”

“I was not!” She counter argued.

In an instant, Zuko flipped them over, eyes heavy with lust. “I’m still in charge, here.” He moved his hips and Katara’s breath hitched in response. She suddenly remembered how little clothes she had on.

“And…” He leaned closer down to her face so she could feel his breath on her lips. She briefly wondered how he smelled so good all of the time. “I think it’s time I showed you just how well I’ve healed.” He whispered in that low, deep voice that drove her crazy.

***

On the other side of the palace, Iroh was already drafting a letter announcing the engagement of Fire Lord Zuko and Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe.

Some would say he was thinking too far ahead – but he knew it was coming.

Lady Aiko snickered. “You should probably order more contraceptive tea.”

He looked up and concentrated. In the distance, a shrill scream echoed throughout the palace, followed by the pounding footsteps of the guards who were more than likely going to investigate the noise. He almost felt bad for them.

“Good point.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Katara is one of those women who is used to being in control and in charge, as she's always had to be after losing her mom at a young age and filling that void. But like a lot of dominant women, they want someone that makes them feel safe and lets them be vulnerable - someone they can submit to securely. Zuko seems like that kind of guy where he lets Katara lead sometimes but he's totally capable of making her be completely submissive to him because he provides that safe space for her. And I know Tui and La is for the moon and ocean, but c'mon, it fits them perfectly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda a fluffy, little, filler chapter - I realized this story has been going on for over a year and no one had a birthday yet -so here we are LOL.

Katara threw her arms up in frustration. Zuko was back on his feet in record timing but she still wanted him to be careful which meant she tried to keep him from overexerting himself. 

But it was proving to be difficult because Zuko insisted that he was fine. She'd chastise him for it if it wasn't kind of cute and charming how stubborn he was. 

“Iroh, will you tell your nephew that even though he is no longer out of commission, he still needs to take it easy or risk harming himself?”

Iroh looked up from where he was polishing his Pai Sho tiles. Part of “taking it easy” meant that he was slowly working his way back up to his regular workload and spending more time relaxing so the two of them joined him in the garden for lunch, enjoying the crisp, cool breeze.

The old man decided to amuse Katara. “Zuko, even though you are no longer out of commission, you still need to take it easy or risk harming yourself.”

Katara stuck her tongue out playfully. “Ha!”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Uncle, will you tell Katara that I’m a grown ass man and don’t need her to babysit me?”

Iroh looked back and forth between the two, contemplating. “I am not telling her that, nephew. She scares me.”

“Uncle!” He groaned. “The legendary Dragon of the West cannot possibly be scared of a 20 year old li-“ Just then, Katara glared at him and one of the Moon Peach trees’ branches began to wilt from the lack of water.

“Finish that sentence and I will cut off the circulation in your entire body by freezing you to a temperature so cold _, you_ can’t even bend yourself out of it.”

Zuko visibly gulped causing Iroh to chuckle loudly. “And that’s why I’m scared of her.” He grinned, winking at Katara.

She smirked, putting her hands on her hips victoriously as the color returned to the leaves and blossoms on the tree. “I win.”

“Do you always have to take her side?”

“Oh nephew, you will learn to never argue with a woman, especially not with one that could destroy you with a wave of her hand. Did Azula teach you nothing?”

Katara giggled at the mention of his sister. Although, she was still locked up in a mental hospital - she was making progress with her treatment and Zuko took to visiting her periodically. He said that she was starting to seem normal again and it made her smile that he was slowly regaining a relationship with her. Now if only they could find his mom - then maybe Zuko would have a big, happy family that she knew deep down, he wanted, even though he never plainly said it. 

Zuko pouted and walked over to where she was standing, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“You’re lucky Uncle is here.” He growled jokingly.

"And if he wasn't? You'd punish me?" She teased. 

Zuko sucked in a breath as his internal body temperature began to rise. Katara was clearly a temptress that was hellbent on making him squirm when he needed to be professional and commanding. But two could play at this game. 

"It's not really a punishment if you like it." He said nonchalantly, smirking when she blushed. 

Just then, one of the Kyoshi Warriors Suki sent to the Fire Nation appeared. Once she found out Zuko was attacked, she didn’t think his guards were up to par and insisted. Against her _and_ Katara, well, he didn’t stand a chance in saying no so he agreed and sent Sokka a letter saying "I don't know how you deal with her" to which he responded "You're dating my sister. I could say the same for you." 

“Fire Lord Zuko, the palanquin is ready.”

Zuko looked at her. “Thank you, Naoko, we’ll be there shortly” then turned back to Katara who had a confused expression on her face.

“Zuko, what’s going on?”

He grinned. “Since I was out on medical leave during your 20th birthday, we didn’t get to celebrate it the way I planned, which actually gave me more time to perfect your present. This was merely a distraction to have it prepared before our arrival.”

“Zuko…” She warned. “What have you been up to?”

“We’ll have to go and see. The guards are waiting to escort us.”

Zuko hated having to use the royal transport. He never wanted to seem disconnected from his people and the theatrics of it all annoyed him, but based on recent events, there were obviously some still out there that wanted him dead and would do anything to wedge a crack in his hard work – so he couldn’t be too careful.

With a nod, albeit skeptical, she pulled herself from him and went to get ready.

***

When Zuko and Katara walked down the palace steps to meet the guards, there was a mass of people gathered outside. It was always a spectacle whenever their Fire Lord left the stronghold of the palace because traditionally, it wasn’t something that was done.

Katara was playing with a loose thread on the sleeve of her dress. To say she was nervous was an understatement. This was their first public outing as a couple and she didn’t know what to expect. Zuko must have felt her nervousness because he leaned down and whispered in her ear “Relax. I’m right here with you.”

She looked at him and smiled softly. “Thanks. There’s just so many people. How do you deal with all of this?”

He laughs heartily. “I just tell myself to focus less on trying to not be like my father, and just do it.”

“Hmm, seems like you have it all figured out.” 

“No, I don’t. But having you here with me helps.” He grinned then took her hand in his but Katara still seemed uneasy.

He sighed. "This…is also about what happened isn’t it?”

She looked at up him and smiled softly. “Yeah.”

He brought the hand he was holding to his lips and kissed it, enticing a few excited screams from the crowd. Katara didn’t miss the guards immediately swarming in closer to them and forming defensive positions around the rest of the perimeter.

“See, they’re on it and they’re not just protecting me anymore, but you as well. And I honestly think they’re more willing to risk their lives for you than me.” He laughed a bit. “Or at least they don’t want to face your wrath if I get attacked again.”

Katara shook her head, slightly embarrassed. 

“Now, let’s go see your surprise.”

***

Katara couldn’t believe what she was looking at it. On the outskirts of the city was an aquatic center and clinic, intricately designed to represent the Southern Water Tribe. Underground piping was installed to pull water from the harbor along with a purification system to be used for rehabilitation, midwifery, and recreation. And she was going to oversee it as its Director.

She didn’t know what to say as her mouth kept opening and closing in shock. Zuko stepped up beside her and put his arms behind his back. “So what do you think?’ He asked cheekily.

“When did you do this?” She breathed, still reeling from the beauty of it.

“I’ve been working on it for a while now. I know you miss home, so I thought I’d bring it to you. And not only do you have a gift that should be utilized, the Fire Nation is well overdue for a public pool.”

“How did you do this?”

“I spoke to the some of the engineers about it – a project of this scale has never been done before but when you’re friends with the greatest Earthbender in the world….preparing the land and the metalwork was honestly the easiest part. Toph loved doing it so much, she forgot that we still haven’t had our field trip.” He laughed. "And Aang helped too. He's the only other waterbender I know and I needed to make sure that the plumbing actually works." 

Katara smiled at the mention of their mutual friends, then turned to face him. “I don’t know what to say.”

Zuko smirked. “A thank you would be nice.”

She rolled her eyes and smacked him in the chest, playfully. “Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko.”

Katara clasped her hands and bowed in the modified way the Fire Sages have been teaching her to do. Traditionally, she was expected to kneel all the way to the floor but Zuko found the practice outdated and misogynistic. 

“Okay, now you’re being funny. It's nice to see those lessons are paying off though.” He winked at her and put his hands on her hips.

She chuckled lightly. “No, but seriously – thank you. You're constantly going above and beyond.” She paused. “You spoil me….I’ve never had that before.”

Zuko returned the smile. “I only spoil you because you deserve it. Do you know how hard it is being Fire Lord and trying to clean up a mess I didn’t make but inherited? It’s exhausting.”

Katara sighed and started massaging the muscles in his back with her fingertips. She often went to sleep in his living quarters, alone, but woke up with him next to her. Being Fire Lord meant early mornings, late nights, and more paperwork than either one of them cared for.

“But you're with me and I'd like to keep you around because you can do things like that.”

She immediately stopped her ministrations. “Oh, so you only have me here to be your personal masseuse?”

“Um, yeah, Ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe is just a fancy codename I made up.” He deadpanned.

Katara scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. “Hmpfh. We’ll see you if you feel the same way the next time you need help drafting a treaty.”

Zuko howled with laughter before leaning down to place a kiss on her lips. 

“Happy Birthday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azula deserved better and I'd like to pretend the way she was handled in the comics simply does not exist. Sue me.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am deeply sorry this took so long. I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many times and everytime I thought I was satisifed, I read it to myself and hated it LOL. I really wanted to dive more into Azula being in a mental institution and the dynamic between her and Zuko which took a lot of trial and error. I also planned to tie in the search for Zuko's mom into this story - but that proved to be difficult as well. I ended up writing it out and scraping the entire thing.
> 
> The bad news is, this is coming to an end. I never want to drag a storyline along. The good news is, I do plan on continuing Zuko and Katara's tale in another fic once I actually work all the ideas that are running through my head out.
> 
> Warning: This chapter is a little heavy on the angst. There are references to self-harm, schizophrenia, and paranoia.

Zuko walked down the long, dimly lit corridor. He was on his way to the chamber where his sister, Azula, stayed as she received treatment at the mental facility.

These little sessions with her always made him feel on edge – but to really fix his father’s mistakes, he was dedicated and committed to helping her through the process. After all, she was still his sister and despite everything, he forgave (and loved) her.

The guard stationed outside her room bowed before stepping to the side and unlocking the thick fiberglass door. It was one of the few materials that couldn’t burn.

He took a deep breath, then pushed his way in. A nurse along with a Kyoshi Warrior sat in the anteroom and bowed when he walked in. She was supervised 24 hours a day, not only to keep the staff safe, but to protect her from herself as well.

“How is she?”

The nurse sighed. “She had a rough night. Hallucinations, again.”

Zuko frowned at this information. Azula had recurring horrible hallucinations of their mother along with other nightmares. When he first found out, he wasn't sure if he believed it. Even when they were kids, she was always the more confident and headstrong out of the two of them. She seemed to lack the full range of human emotions and was known for her sadistic, evil personality. But it made him realize that underneath all of that, she was a kid who was manipulated and abused just like he was.

After all, she wasn’t always like this. Some of his fondest childhood memories consisted of them playing together in the palace gardens.

“May I see her?”

That was another thing – even though he was the Fire Lord, he still wanted to respect whatever boundaries she had. If she weren’t up to taking any visitors, he’d leave.

The nurse was about to answer when a voice from the other side of the room called out. “Yes, you may.”

He turned in its direction and there was Azula sitting in the doorway of her bedroom looking frail and _lonely_.

***

The conversation between the two wasn’t their usual banter. They made small talk and he even got her to smile a few times. It wasn’t much, but it was something and he was learning to understand that small progress is still progress.

That’s not exactly how their Uncle said it, but it was close enough.

They just finished a game of pai sho and were sitting in a thick silence when Azula decided to break it.

“So, you and Katara, huh, brother?”

Zuko bit the inside of his cheek. Azula knew Katara was the Ambassador and Katara knew he was meeting with her but he hadn’t told her yet that they were a couple.

He internally decided that it was no point it keeping it from her anymore and he didn't really have a reason to. Although she wasn’t living directly at the palace, he was sure that the news got back to her and he was pretty confident that she wouldn't try to hurt her...again.

“Yeah…we’re dating.”

The silence that passed between them seemed to last forever. She had a blank expression on her face that he couldn’t read. Then slowly, the corners of her mouth turned up into a wicked smirk. Yet, strangely, he didn’t sense any malicious intent behind it like in the past.

“She’s a good choice for you.”

Zuko’s scrunched his face up in confusion.

“What?”

“Katara. She’s...nice.”

"Oh." 

Azula sighed as if her next few words were hard to say. “She makes you happy.” Then she paused. “You deserve that.”

Deep down, she was jealous of the relationship him and Katara had. They balanced each other, were able to argue without it blowing up in their face, and she fought by his side against her. 

Azula didn't really know what love was or felt like, but if she thought about it enough (and she tried not to), she'd imagine it looks like them. 

“You know, you could be happy too…” He offered. 

She twisted her face up in disgust. “People like me don’t end up happy.”

“That’s not true. I have leads on mother’s whereabouts. We could find her, together. I could have them clean up your old room and when you’re ready, you can move back to palace where I'm sure it'll be more comfortable. You could be happy, Azula. It just takes time.”

Azula kissed her teeth. “Mother doesn’t want to see me, Zuko. You have to understand that. She thinks I’m a monster.”

Zuko frowned. That was always her response whenever he brought it up. “But you’re not.”

Years ago, at 16, he would've agreed that she was. But now, at 22, all he saw he was a sad, broken kid. The fact that she and Katara are the same age just made the damage even more staggering. 

“Even if I did see her what would I say? That I’m sorry I wasn’t the daughter she wanted me to be?” She snarled then, growing increasingly frustrated. “That I wasn’t perfect even when I tried so hard to be? I had everything, but I've never had anyone love me." 

"I love you." 

He hadn't said that since they were children. 

"Don't me and don't say that ever again. I don't want your pity." 

"But Azula..." 

Just then, the Kyoshi Warrior along with the nurse that were sitting in the anteroom walked in. “Your Majesty, I think you should leave."

He sighed but stood up to leave anyway. On his way out, the Kyoshi warrior spoke to him. “Don’t take it personal, My Lord. It’s still a sensitive subject.”

Zuko offered a small smile. “Thank you. I’ll try not to. I just feel bad. I wish I could do more to help her.”

“You coming to visit her does more than you think. She may not say it to your face, but she appreciates it.”

He nodded in understanding before turning to leave.

***

“What has you looking so down?”

Zuko looked up from where he was sulking in his study. He was surprised to see Katara leaning on the doorframe. With the clinic up and running, she spent more time in the city and less time at the palace. Zuko loved how happy it made her. Even when she came back tired and worn out – sometimes he would receive her at the gate and carry her back to his room because she insisted that his bed was bigger and more comfortable, her eyes still lit up when she talked about what she did or who she helped that day.

But he did miss her. He missed running into her in the hallway and making her blush, sneaking off somewhere none of his advisors could find them in the middle of the day to enjoy other’s presence away from everyone else, heated discussions when they argued proposed legislation point for counter-point, helping him sort through the growing pile of mail on his desk that almost always led to something else…

If Toph was here, she’d punch him for being so “disgusting” which was her way of showing affection.

So even though he was confused by her current presence, it was nice to see her.

“I went to see Azula today.”

Katara frowned, then crossed the room. She wrapped her arms his neck and placed a kiss on his temple.

“I take it that it didn’t go well?”

Zuko sighed. “She’s been hallucinating again, about our mom. I just wish I could make them stop, you know…I wish there was something I could do to help.”

She walked around him and nudged his legs with her knee. He got the hint and pulled her onto his lap, arms instinctively wrapping around her waist.

Katara cupped his face with her hands. “Uh-uh. You are not going to blame yourself. You’re doing a lot by being there for her. These things…it takes time and unfortunately, mental illnesses, they never really go away. You just learn how to live with it.”

“Well, what if…what if she never learns that?”

She pauses, weighing her words carefully. “What do you mean?” 

Zuko sighs. “I mean…what if things never get better? I know we’ll probably never go back to the way we used to be when we were kids but…she’s my sister, Katara. My _little_ sister. I don’t want my father’s legacy to include losing her when I’ve already lost so many people. Believe it or not, we used to have fun together.”

Katara’s heart aches. It pains her to hear him talk like this, even though his feelings are valid. Him and Azula have such a complicated relationship and the more she found about her and their childhood, the more she hates Ozai.

He was a monster who pitted his children against each other and forced them to compete. In his quest for world domination, he banished his own son, and turned his daughter into a sociopathic war machine. They ended up different people on different paths, but with the same motive – fighting for his love and approval. It was a horrific situation to grow up in and now they had to deal with the aftermath of someone trying to decide their destiny for them. 

And she knew that Zuko carried some of the weight and blame himself. It was one of the first things they talked about when she decided to stay in the Fire Nation – how he kept asking himself “What if?”

“I’m sorry, Zuko. You know I would heal her if I could.”

Zuko smiles softly. “Yeah, I know.” He kisses her lips. “Thank you.”

Katara smiles back. “You’re welcome. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Then he pulls away from her. “Now, why are you home so early?”

Her heart flutters at his use of the word “home”. Years ago, the Fire Nation was a place she never even wanted to see. It was a place that caused a lot of bad memories and pain for her and her people – she’d never thought she’d be living here or dating the Fire Lord. Fate was funny that way.

“You’re asking that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s definitely not. I’m just curious.”

“Well, I didn’t have any more appointments.” She said nonchalantly. “I also found out from one of my patients that the Ember Island Players are performing tonight at the theatre. We should go.”

Zuko groaned. “But ‘The Boy In The Iceberg’ was horrible.”

“Yes, it was but c’mon, it’d be like old times.”

“I don’t know, Katara.”

“Zuko, please.” She pouted then and looked at up with him with those big, blue doe-eyes that had him eating out of the palm of her hand every time she wanted something. “You never take a break and it’ll be fun to get out and explore the town.”

“Is this your way of asking me out on a date?”

She bites her lip then and Zuko wishes she hadn’t done that. It makes it that much harder to say no.

Katara grins. “Maybe.”

Zuko laughs. “Fine. It’s a date.”

She squeals in excitement. “Good, because I already got our tickets. I guess being an Ambassador has some perks.”

He rolls his eyes. “You say that like you hate your job. Do I not pay you enough?” He teases and she laughs. “Wait, so what were you going to do if I said no?”

Katara scoffs. “Please, like you had a choice. As the Ambassador, it’s my job to oversee the relationship between the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation and as your girlfriend, it’s my job to help you take care of yourself. I can’t do either if you’re overworked and stressed out, now can I? Besides, I know you miss me not being around as often. Iroh told me you’re all mopey in your meetings now.”

“I am not!” Then he paused. “I’ve actually been enjoying the peace and quiet and not having you jump my bones every time you see me.”

She stared at him. “You and I know both know it’s more like the other way around. I found articles that conveniently have pictures of me in them in your dresser.” She tsks and repeats the same thing the Fire Sages have told her. "It's not very becoming of a royal to engage in lewd behavior." 

“What were you doing snooping around in _my_ dresser anyway? You’ve infiltrated my palace, taken over the kitchens on weekends, renovated the empty rooms, and now you’re stealing my clothes?”

Katara shrugs but notices that he doesn’t even try to deny having pictures of her. “They look better on me.”

Zuko shook his head then leaned in closer to her face. “What am I going to do with you?” He questions but he can’t argue with that – they did look better on her and it made his chest swell with that warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that she liked to lounge around in his nightshirts on her days off.

“Love me?” She questioned shyly.

He smiled. “I can do that.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azula deserved a redemption arch.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost over :( 
> 
> Warning: Fluff ahead. Might make you smile so big, your cheeks hurt.

“That was bad, Katara. Better, but still bad.”

Zuko and Katara were walking back from the theatre hand in hand with a few guards trailing behind and in front of them.

Katara laughs. “Yeah, it was, but you have to admit, it was fun. The overacting made it hilarious.”

“I was more entertained by something else, but sure, we can go with that.”

She rolls her eyes. Throughout the entire show, Zuko kept trailing his fingers up under her dress and kissing on her neck. It was so inappropriate but somehow the trill of getting caught turned her on more than she would like to admit. “We are not making that a habit, Zuko.”

“Are you saying you didn’t enjoy it? The way you were moaning in my ear during the intermission begs to differ.”

“I hate you.”

Zuko grins in that confident, smug way. “I love you too. “

Just then, a small child comes running towards them, a ball in her hands, and the guards immediately form a barrier around them. She appears to be no more than five or six-years-old and seems panicked.

“It’s okay, let her through, she could be lost.”

“But Your Majesty…” One of the guards speak.

“She’s a child. I think I’ll be okay.”

The guards part and Zuko steps forward, kneeling down to her height to make himself appear less intimidating. “Hi sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

The child’s jaw drops and her eyes go wide. “You’re the Fire Lord.”

He chuckles. “Yes, I am. Now, are you okay?”

She fiddles with the ball in her hand. “The big kids keep trying to take my ball. But my dad gave me this one and he died from problems following the war.”

Zuko frowns, unable to hide his sadness. This was one of the unspoken hard parts about being Fire Lord, dealing with the repercussions of a Hundred Year War meant having to accept that thousands of innocent people perished and left behind grieving friends and family. 

“Oh, we can’t have that now, can we? Where are they?”

“At the park.”

“Well, I guess we’re going to the park. May I hold your hand?”

The little girl bites her lip, thinking it over then nods and Zuko takes her hand. Katara shoots him a look and he just shrugs. Then she motions to the guards and they all proceed to follow them to whatever they’re going.

When they get to the park, Zuko is surprised to see it so rundown. It’s right on the border between the upper and lower districts and the contrast is staggering.

It doesn’t look like the parks he frequented with his mom and Azula as a child. He’s not even sure if it can be called that because all of the flowers are wilted and it doesn’t even look safe – the metal is rusted and there are broken off pieces that he’s sure isn’t suitable for children to be playing with.

The little girl pulls on his pants’ leg and points. “They’re over there. By the swing.”

Zuko nods and begins to walk toward them. At his presence, the older kids immediately stand up, fear evident on his faces.

He sighs. They’re scared of him. That’s great. He’s not sure if it because he’s Zuko, The Formerly-Banished-Prince-With-A-Dark-Past or if it’s because he’s the Fire Lord. Quite frankly, neither have the best reputations.

“I’m not here to hurt you, I promise. But my friend over there” He gestures in her direction and she waves shyly from where she’s being held by Katara “said you keep trying to take her ball. That’s not very nice.”

One of them finally decides to speak up, perhaps he’s the leader of this group, and Zuko can tell he’s nervous but trying to put on a brave front. “We didn’t mean to, I swear. It’s just…look around. No one really cares about us here, a lot of our dads, brothers, and uncles were the first to go and with them gone, well, our moms don’t have the money for nice things like balls to play with.” He pauses then. “Not that that makes what we did okay, because it doesn’t, it’s just…please don’t hurt us.”

This kid doesn’t look any older than 12 or 13 and he’s rambling now. He’s clearly been traumatized by everything that’s happened – war is all he’s ever known and for a brief moment, Zuko’s temper flares because they shouldn’t have to carry this weight at such a young age, but he suppresses it because he doesn’t want to scare them anymore than they already are.

“It’s okay. I’m not mad. She might be a little upset, but I’ll take care of that. And I’ll have this park fixed up as soon as possible so you, your friends, and everyone else can have a safe space to play.”

Him and his friends eyes go wide. “You serious?”

Zuko nods. “Are you guys in school?”

He frowns and starts staring at the ground, busying himself with everything but looking at his face. “No, a lot of us had to drop out. Too many fees.”

Zuko smiles then, an idea in his head. “Do you see that pretty woman over there?”

The boy grins. “Yeah. That’s Lady Katara. She’s a babe.” Zuko raises an eyebrow, he had some competition for Katara’s hand and heart, apparently, and he freezes. “Sorry, I meant no disrespect. She’s just really pretty.”

“Yeah, she is.” He agrees dreamily, a dazed look in eyes. “But anyway, she’s been working really hard to improve public education here in the Fire Nation. How would you guys like to be first recipients of her scholarship fund as a testament to her hard work? I’m sure you’ll make fine students at the Fire Nation Academy.”

He sputters. “That…that would be awesome! Wait until we tell our parents! Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko.” He turns to face his friends and they appear to be discussing something. A few moments pass before he turns around again. “We were, um, wondering, if we could, um, hug you.”

Zuko grins. “It would be my honor.” And opens his arms as they all crowd around him for a group hug.

***

Later on, when they’re on their way back to the palace after the little girl whose name he found out is Blessing was personally dropped off at home by him and Katara (nearly giving her mother a heart attack because it’s not every day the Fire Lord shows up to one’s house), Katara is smiling and staring at him in admiration the entire time.

“What?” He finally questions, feeling slightly uncomfortable because she still manages to give him butterflies just by looking at him.

“I had no idea you were so good with kids.”

Zuko chuckles. “Oh, I’m not. But I do have a soft spot for them.”

“Hm. That’s good to know.”

She has no intentions on having children any time in the near future, but every day, he showed her more and more that in spite of all his self-doubt, he’d make an excellent father. Over a year ago, she was lying to herself about her feelings for him but now, she was sure there was no place she’d rather be than here, living life with Zuko.

“You did a very good thing, by the way.”

He smiles. “You really think so?”

“I know so.”

He squeezes her hand then laughs. “Oh, by the way, that kid said you’re a total babe.”

Katara gasps. “He did not!”

“He did. He’s lucky he’s a child or I would’ve felt some kind of way about it.”

“Oh, stop being so jealous. You know I’m all yours.”

She kisses him on the cheek and he can’t hide the goofy look on his face, even in the dark.

 _Yours_.

He likes the sound of that.

***

A few months later, Zuko and Katara cut the ribbon at the brand-new park complete with state-of-the-art equipment and the gang of kids that led to it’s creation get first dibs, laughing and playing together.

Being Fire Lord definitely had some perks – but being able to make others’ happy by doing the right thing?

That was his personal favorite.


	16. Epilogue

Zuko was mesmerized. They were at Ember Island for summer recess and Katara was glowing more than usual being surrounded by her element. After all of these years, he was still fascinated by her manipulating the water to her every whim. Even when he was chasing after them, he secretly loved fighting her because not only were they relatively evenly matched, he liked the way she commanded it so effortlessly. It was the element opposite of his own and until then, he had little to no contact with waterbenders (and definitely not any female waterbenders) – so it absolutely hypnotized him.

It didn’t hurt that Katara was pretty, athletic, and flexible. He was an angry teenager back then, but still a teenager, nonetheless.

She was standing waist deep in the water, illuminated by the moonlight, with her hair cascading down her back, in a tiny red bikini that left little to the imagination and did wonders to his all at the same time. He constantly had to pull his brain from an increasingly inappropriate place. He had to admit – as much as he loved her traditional wrappings because really, he thought she looked beautiful in a trash bag, it did something to him to see her wearing the attire of his country and people.

The Fire Nation suited her well, despite everything it done to her. Honestly, Zuko would argue that he started falling for her because of his deep desire to make it a better place and correct his forefather’s mistakes. She was kind and caring, yet headstrong and determined. She gave herself selfishly to everything she was assigned with and even took on her own projects. The success of the clinic along with a school in the South Pole in collaboration with their sister tribe to teach more women the art of waterbending aside from healing led to more things from nutrition programs to welfare reform and decriminalizing prostitution (some members of the council fought her tooth and nail on that but she stood her ground and prevailed) – all things that she played a role in establishing, all things Zuko never let anyone forget she helped come to fruition. They needed her – _he_ needed her.

Many nights when he was alone in his quarters on his ship, he would stare at and fondle the necklace she lost so many years ago and made it his mission to return it, just to see her again. He would fall asleep thinking about the girl with eyes as blue and deep as the sea who was willing to use magical spirit oasis water on a stranger she barely knew.

The only other person who ever showed him that much compassion and empathy was his mother and Uncle.

A part of him always knew he liked her, loved her even, but now he was _in_ love with her and he never wanted that feeling to go away even if it did make him stop and stare at her mid-sentence whenever she walked into a room he was in or lose his train of thought just by smiling at him. And even if he did have to bail her out of trouble with his council far too many times for deliberately (she claims it’s accidental but he knows her too well) breaking the rules and if she pisses him off because she could be so bossy and infuriating sometimes. That was okay though because he would remind her who’s the dominant one later on in private. 

Toph would think he’s a fool. A lovesick fool, but still a fool.

She was his safe space, his home. It didn’t matter where they were, along as she was there, he was alright which made solo missions like when he had to break up a band of rebels with his army even harder.

He justified barring her from coming by saying “Uncle lives in Ba Sing Se now running his teashop and there’s no one else I trust to run the country in my absence” but really, he was terrified of losing her.

Katara was more than capable of handling her own in battle, but these rebels were dangerous and would do anything to get to him - that included deliberately hurting someone he loves, and it wasn't a chance he was willing to take.

He likes to think she would eventually learn to live without him and move on for she wasn't lacking any options, but he would absolutely die of a broken heart if something happened to her. The guilt alone would eat him alive so even though she complained, pouted, and said she hated him for making her stay – it was worth it when they were successful, and he was able to come back to his waterbender with both of them in one piece. And he did make up for being gone for so long by showing her how much he loves and missed her in multiple rooms of the palace, even though the staff weren't too happy about that, 

“What are you staring at?”

Zuko was brought out his train of thought by Katara who was now standing directly in front on him, semi-dry and skin prickling from the cool air.

“The most beautiful creature in the world.”

Katara giggled in that way she has reserved solely for him. “You’re such a charmer, Zuko.”

He smirked. “Well, that’s good, because I was talking about the moon.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Ha, ha. Very funny. I’ll be sure to tell Yue that later.”

He pulled her down into his lap and placed a kiss on her forehead. “You know I was staring at you. I don’t know why you asked.”

“I just like hearing you say it, that’s all.”

“Hmm. What about showing you?” He asked, leaning down, and placing kisses on her chest.

“Mhmm. That could be arranged. We do have the entire beach house to ourselves this time.”

“I like the way you think, Ambassador Katara.”

***

The following morning, Katara smiles and shows him the paper hot off the press. In big, bold, letters, the headlines read “Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Katara Take Romantic Getaway to Ember Island. Are wedding bells in the future?” with pictures of them together. 

“Should we tell them?”

Zuko shakes his head. “No, not yet. As soon as we announce we’re engaged, there’ll be no more of this with all of the planning and boring rituals the Fire Sages will make us do.” He bites her shoulder playfully. “I’m enjoying having you all to myself for once.”

"Now, that I can agree with." 

_Fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andddddddd that's all, folks :( 
> 
> My first multi-chapter fic is over. It's a bittersweet feeling. I want to thank you all for embarking on this journey with me, from every single comment (good and bad), kudos, or if you read in silence - it's so appreciated. I was so nervous getting back into non-academic, free-writing again but the release of ATLA on Netflix brought my first muse (Zuko * Katara) back to light and now I'm writing constantly from fanfics, to original stories, short essays for my blog, and more. I feel like I've found my inner child again and you all helped with that. I have plans for a sequel and will be working on that, hopefully, in between schoolwork. I did start my second and final year of my grad program 2 weeks ago, I'm a parttime graduate assistant, and I have to complete 180 hours of an internship so my free time is often spent sleeping and binging Netflix lol. But be well. Stay safe. And wear a mask. 
> 
> \- Mary <3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Fornicate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25947286) by [onewomanshow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onewomanshow/pseuds/onewomanshow)




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